The hecatomb of deforestation
Whereas forests represented 75% of the territory in 1950, by 1990 they covered only a meagre 25%. There are many reasons for this hecatomb. Firstly, logging has long been seen as a way out of poverty. Secondly, the Philippines' mining deposits, which are among the largest in the world, are proving to be a poisoned chalice, as the mines involve the massive felling of trees to reach the precious resources. Industrial agriculture and traditional farming are also among the culprits. In particular, the government is targeting the kaingineros, nomads who practice devastating slash-and-burn agriculture.
Since 2010, the forest has been slowly regaining ground, increasing from 23% to 25.5% of the territory. The government has put in place both a restrictive policy, prohibiting, among other things, the export of timber from provinces with less than 40% forest; and a policy of involving the population, for example by making it compulsory for all students to plant ten trees a year, if they want to graduate. The backbone of this policy is the National Greening Program, launched in 2011, which aims to combine reforestation with poverty reduction, protection against climate change and food security.
Sacrificing for the environment
In the Asian archipelago, some environmentalists pay for their fight with their own lives. The Philippines holds the Asian record for the deadliest country for environmentalists. Worldwide, only Colombia is worse. In 2019, 43 of them died for their struggle, compared with 30 in 2018. These tragic events mainly take place on the islands of Mindanao and Negros, two islands known for their heavy agricultural activity: a sector that accounts for more than half of the murders. The problem is getting worse, as Duterte's term in office has been twice as deadly as that of his predecessor, Benigno Aquino.
Among the dead are environmental activists trying to prevent the illegal felling of trees on Palawan, one of the islands richest in biodiversity, but also the most exploited. To do this, they collaborate with the authorities to make arrests, and confiscate machetes and chainsaws, risking their lives in the process. Another case in 2020 involved nine indigenous Tumandok people killed for opposing the construction of the Iloilo mega-dam. This Philippine-Korean project threatens to flood their land.
Politics and the ecological challenge
Very early on, the Philippines saw its thriving environment as a major asset, and created laws to try and protect this cornucopia. The right to a healthy environment is even enshrined in the current Constitution, dating from 1987. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is in charge of national environmental policy. It strives to limit environmental destruction and rehabilitate damaged land, while multiplying awareness campaigns. One of its branches, the Biodiversity Management Bureau, is the authority in charge of the 200 protected sites.
But Philippine policy vacillates between protection and exploitation, especially when lobbies are added to the equation. Environmental protection laws are far from meeting international standards, especially when it comes to species protection. In an unstable economic situation, policy is too often tilted in favor of private enterprise. Indeed, in 2017, Environment Minister Gina Lopez, despite being widely supported by Filipinos, was gently removed from government because of her stance against the mining industry.
The recent election of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. does not seem to herald a big change in terms of environmental policy.
Species at risk
At the crossroads of land and sea, the country is home to a wide range of ecosystems, from dense tropical forests to coral reefs and complex mangrove swamps. This spectacular environment gives rise to a large number of endemic species, such as the Philippine Tarsier(Carlito syrichta), the world's smallest primate, or the Nepenthes attenboroughii, a fascinating carnivorous plant that grows only on Mount Victoria, Palawan's second highest peak. The latter, like many other species, is critically endangered. It even features on the list of the world's 100 most endangered species, along with two other Philippine species: the dragonfly Risiocnemis seidenschwarzi, and the Oriental Tern, a superb white bird of which there are fewer than 50 individuals. Symbolically, the national tree, Pterocarpus indicus, and the national bird, the Philippine eagle, are also on the endangered species list. Marine life is also under serious threat, whether from aggressive fishing methods (including dynamite and cyanide) or pollution. A 1994 study showed that only 50% of corals were in good health, and only 2.4% had not been damaged.
The archipelago faces rising waters
The Philippines is one of the countries most threatened by global warming. Two consequences in particular threaten it. Firstly, climate disruption is leading to an increase in extreme weather phenomena, in a country that is naturally among the world's most exposed to typhoons, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods and landslides. These events, although natural, seem to be occurring with increasing frequency. In 2018, typhoon Mangkut and a number of other disasters caused €4 billion in damage.
On the other hand, the 7,641 islands that make up the Philippines are threatened by rising waters. The state is all the more exposed as it is the fifth longest in the world. What's more, as the waters rise, the ground sinks. Erosion is one of the country's major ecological problems. While the waters rise by 3 millimetres a year, the soil in some localities sinks by six centimetres a year. Some villages, such as Sitio Pariahan, already have their feet under water.
Nature parks: ecological treasures
The Philippines segments its 240 protected areas into numerous statuses, such as natural parks, national parks, natural monuments, sanctuaries, marine reserves... In 2018, President Duterte increased the number of national parks from 35 to 107, with a further 27 natural parks. The largest of these, the Nothern Sierra Madre Natural Park, covers half of the Philippine primary forest. So it's only natural that it should be considered the richest in biodiversity. As such, it has been designated one of the government's 10 Priority Protected Areas, and is even entitled to its own dedicated management office, unlike the other parks.
The Mounts Iglit-Baco National Park may not account for even a quarter of this area, but it too is of crucial importance. It is the main habitat of the Tamarau(Bubalus Mindorensis), a small buffalo endemic to the Philippines and critically endangered.
The Mayon Volcano Natural Park is home to an equally prestigious guest: the country's most active volcano. Despite the column of sulphurous smoke that constantly billows from it, it is home to 104 species of vertebrates and lush vegetation.
