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By Marifel T. Moyano, Haribon Foundation
Exceptional courage, nobility, and strength are
distinguishable traits of a hero. Humanity has placed its face on
this word, to celebrate brave martyrs who died to emancipate the
majority. There were however, unsung heroes in our history, far more
brutally misused, abused, and sacrificed. They clothed, fed,
sheltered, and healed us. They shielded us from calamitous typhoons
and landslides. They were once part of us, covering nearly 30
million hectares, or 97 percent of the county in the 1600s, and
today there are only about 1 million hectares of them left. Our
rainforests are our heroes.
Today, the importance of the rainforests is
seldom acknowledged—no bills, no postcards, and no monuments were
ever created in their honor. Every tree cut from our primary forests
has fueled our economy and deserves honor. Every indigenous tree
that remains upright today should be protected, because its
existence is our lifeline.
They have been richly supportive to mankind’s
needs even before we evolved. Long before mammalian life came about,
plants have made a dramatic impact on the Earth. The early
atmosphere was rich in carbon dioxide and methane. Through
photosynthesis over millions of years, plants reduced the
proportions of those gases, converting them to oxygen and storing
the carbon in their own stems and leaves. When these plants died
they were buried by sediment and formed oil, coal and gas. But most
valuable of all was wood. Wood is hard and light and can be
worked into almost any shape. It was also plentiful and an ideal
material for tools and building. Wood also burned—giving fuel for
cooking and heating.
The dipterocarp forest is found in the
Indo-Malayan stretch, where the Philippines is located. It is one of
the world’s three main tropical rainforests that also include the
tropical American and the African rainforests. The dipterocarp
forest is not a pure stand of tree species but instead a
multiplicity of tree species with dipterocarps as dominant
components. Our dipterocarps are mostly medium-to large sized trees
attaining a height of 40 to 65 meters in diameter breast height, but
a few could reach as large as 300 centimeters. In terms of monetary
value, these species produces the greatest bulk of commercial wood
in the country sold mainly to Japan and the United States under the
trade name “Philippine Mahogany.” They have been cut incessantly
since the 1900s to supply exports and wood for domestic building
construction and infrastructure development.
From varnish, lacquers, thinners, poles, piles,
plywood, pulp and paper, hardboards, furniture, boats, crates, and
boxes, trees are an essential component of our economy. If we have
nearly finished off all of our primary forest, why then, are we such
a poor country?
The demise of our rainforests is felt everywhere
and every day. It is not a rural issue, but rather a public one.
Their absence has changed regional weather
patterns. Species are losing their habitat. They die along with
their forest home. Our rainforests are home to 102 species of
amphibians (82 of which are endemic or found only in the
Philippines), 254 species of reptiles (208 are endemic), 179 mammals
(111 endemics), 20,940 species of insects (14,616 are endemic), 578
species of birds (196 are endemic), 15,000 kinds of plants (7,500
are endemic). Our endemic species are our national pride. They are
also Filipinos.
The majestic nature that once inspired our
national heroes to defend our nation’s natural treasures no longer
exists. Can we still instill in future generations a sense of awe
and respect for the rich biodiversity that thrives in our country?
Putting humanity firmly at the top of the food chain, we have
separated ourselves from the natural environment by adapting it for
own short-term needs. It is time to know our heroes and save the
forests.
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