Sustainable Forest Management in the Philippines: From the Perspective of the Forest-Based Industry By: Forester Oscar A.

Gendrano I. 1. Introduction Sustainable forestry means conservation, which means wise use. Sustainable use of the countrys forest resources means providing benefits for the present generation, without depriving future generations of the same benefits from the use of such resources. Destructive practices to extract maximum damage to the resources. Also, provisions for renewal (such as reforestation, assisted natural regeneration, soil erosion control measures) must be carried out, for the benefit of the next generations of users. History and Status of Sustainable Forestry In colonial times, when the countrys population was still sparse, and international trade was dominated by galleons sailing to Mexico and Spain, the primary tropical forests were lush and extensive. There were islands where Dipterocarp stands stretched from the mountains to the lowlands and even down to the fringes of the seas. Mangroves were largely intact. The forests teemed with wildlife. Cebu island and the mountains around Manila were the major sources of timber for boat building. To support overseas trade, forests in these areas had to be heavily exploited. Lets go fast to move recent times. In the early years of the 20th Century, forest destruction was relatively slow, since the technology for timber extraction was crude. However, land claimants of those pre-war years were already active and quick to follow timber extraction, to finish off residual forest stands. It can be seen that up to the present, the entire island of Cebu has never really recovered from those many years of intensive depredation of its forestlands. After World War II, there was a massive flow into the country of equipment that could be used to more efficiently extract timber. With the arrival of bulldozers, 6x6 trucks, loaders, and power saws, extraction and transport of timber from the forest stands shifted to high gears. The new capability, plus the increasing demand for timber from the other war-torn countries (e.g. Japan, Korea), ushered in the heydays of the timber barons. These were a privileged few who had financial and political clout to obtain vast tracts of forest concessions in which mechanized logging was carried out, to meet the needs for wood exports. In the ensuing three decades (1960s to 1980s) the wood industry sector blossomed into a major pillar of the countrys economy. These were the times when the pristine tropical forest wealth was extensively exploited, but with minimal re-investment to sustain the benefits. In the early 1960s, top Government foresters formulated, and incorporated in official policies, the concept of sustained-yield forestry. The mathematical formulas developed were to be used to determine how much hardwood (mainly Dipterocarps) timber of minimum diameters at breast height should be extracted from a given tract of natural forest. It was expected that after logging a virgin stand, the residual forest left was to continue to grow to maturity, so that after another 30 years, timber extraction could be carried out in 30-year cycles in perpetuity, provided that the growing stock remained intact. Selective logging, as it was more popularly known, was the system that was to lead towards sustainable use of the countrys natural forests. In many national and international for a, the system, was touted as the best way to conserve the tropical forests. It was a beautiful dream that never really came true. The timber barons simply ignored the use of

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the system in their forest concessions. The process of marking first the healthy trees to be left before cutting mature, over-mature, and defective Dipterocarps, was too difficult to carry out in the field. Government foresters were also unable to monitor implementation of the process, much less provide ample protection to whatever healthy, young growing stock there was. 7. At the heels of the logging crews were, as usual, farmers and land claimants seeking land for agriculture. In no time, extensive areas of supposedly protected logged-over forests vanished through the deft, callous hands of the slash-and-burn farmers. The onslaught of these farmers was unstoppable. There were no healthy residual forests left to speak of, to enable re-growth for the next cutting cycle. As an exception, a few thousand hectares in Surigao province could serve as a showcase that selective logging, as a conservation approach, would have worked if the logged-over areas were well-protected from land claimants. But the prevailing situation in many forest areas now confirms implementation of the selective logging system in the natural forests was a resounding failure. New Directions to Attain Sustainability By 1986, when the Government finally decided to totally ban the export of round timber, much of natural forest were already extensively decimated. It became apparent, by then, that proper implementation of the selective logging system, as well as adequate and rigorous protection of logged over areas, had to go hand-in-hand, if sustainable forestry was to succeed. Seemingly at a loss as to what could work in lieu of the selective logging system, Government sought to phase out Timber License Agreements and create new tenurial instruments which were to focus on more systematic reforestation rather than uncontrolled extraction of natural timber. One such instrument was the Integrated Forest Management Agreement (IFMA), which should cover partly forested but mainly logged-over forests and open areas within the public domain. Prior to this instrument, the Government created the Industrial Tree Plantation Program. This program sought to encourage the establishment of commercialscale tree plantations to support the wood processing industry. But the prospect of having to wait for at least 8 to 10 years before trees can be cut in ITP areas, enticed only a few investors. To date, as the new tenurial policy is implemented, the number of TLAs has been cut down to 14 (from 100 in mid-1980s) covering 567,000 hectares, while the number of IFMAs has reached 198, covering an area of 738,000 hectares. Government has expected that investment in tree plantations in IFMA areas will finally lead to sustained-yield forestry. It was envisaged that, when much of these areas were fully planted to fast-growing timber species, a cut-and-plant cycle could be implemented. Harvestable volumes of mature trees could be better predicted and replanting programs could be carried out. However, while the areas covered by IFMAs are known, there is up to now no accurate statistics on how many hectares were actually planted, their age and diameter classes, and rates of growth. Having such statistics would have somehow indicated that the IFMA licenses are seriously carrying out proper forest management. Perhaps as an indirect admission of failure to stop the decimation of the natural forests, Government adopted in 1995, as the national strategy to rehabilitate the countrys forestlands, the Community-Based Forest Management (CBFM) program. Under this program, which was promulgated in Executive Order No. 263 by then President Fidel V. Ramos, vast areas formerly covered by TLAs were awarded to Peoples Organizations (POs) for them to develop into viable forest-based enterprises. To date, about 1.2 million hectares of forestlands are covered by long-term (25-year) leases, also known as CBFMAs, issued to more than 700 Pos throughout the land. Each lessee is required to

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prepare a Community Resource Management Framework (CRMF), to be approved by DENR, before any work is started in the leased area. During the last nine years, there were attempts to jump start the development of CBFMAs, through massive forest-based enterprises. But there is still much to be done, both by Government and the POs, for us to be able to say that this program is reasonably successful. 12. Another major step taken by the Government was the award of about 2.5 million hectares of forestlands to indigenous cultural minorities under RA 9371, also known as the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) law. Under this law, the tenurial instrument commonly issued to indigenous people is known as the Certificate of Ancestral Domain Claim (CADC), which is awarded to tribal groups that have lived on the land since time immemorial. The idea behind this award is to give legal status to land claims of IPs and hopefully encourage them to engage in economic activities that will increase their income in a sustainable way. The office given the task to oversee implementation of the IPRA law, the National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP), has yet to get sufficient funds and people, to effectively carry out the provisions of this law. With the issue of these recent major tenurial instruments (i.e. ITPs, IFMAs, CBFMAs and CADCs), Government has taken a new direction towards attaining sustainable management of the countrys forestland resources. A common feature of these instruments is long-term nature of the land leases. Most leases are up to the constitutional limit of 25 years, but with the option to renew for another 25 years. The long tenure should enable the lessees to create a plan of development of the land resource that is sustainable. IV. The Elements of Sustainable Forestry 14. For more than half a century, it can be seen that the Government, despite major political upheavals, made serious attempts to formulate and implement policies that: (1) could stem the tide of destruction of the natural forests; (2) would enable people to enjoy the benefits of the forestlands, with minimal adverse affects on soil, water, and wildlife; and (3) could support the sustained growth of forest-based industries that promote employment and export of wood products. Apparently, the country has, to a large extent, not yet reached these objectives. But the new tact of providing long-term tenure, and recognizing the immediate stakeholders who live on the fringes of the land, offer some hope that, in the near future, these goals could be attained. It has taken so many years for the country to experiment on various approaches towards sustainable use of our forest resources, and only recently found those that could really work. There is no need now to ask the question What took us so long to figure out what to do? The questions to work on are: What will make the new tact serve us in reaching our noble goal? What are the elements of sustainable forestry that we foresters should help pinpoint, and strive to put flesh on, so that everyone may enjoy the fruits of our labor? To realize the goal of sustainable forestry under those tenurial arrangements, the following seven elements are deemed needed: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) (i) Good governance Stable and sensible policies; clear and simple rules Intensive and appropriate training Effective monitoring and evaluation Adequate funds Assistance to infrastructure and market development Effective Public Information and Education

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Good Governance: Government functionaries should be effective enforcers of laws, as well as efficient development workers ready and able to assist their clientele (i.e. the

public). Those who deal on forestry matters, from the field forester to the highest political leader, must show competence and promote transparency and fairness in the day-to-day conduct of their duties. They must exert effort to understand the needs and motivations of POs in CBFMAs, IPs in CADC, and investors in IFMAs and ITPs. They must initiate innovative ideas that will enhance profitability of the lessees ventures. Above all, they must earn the respect and confidence of those they serve. (ii) Stable and Sensible Policies; Clear and Simple Rules: If we are keen observers of forest policy developments, we will recall that the old law granting short-term timber licenses (5-10 years) was revised by Presidential Decree 705 (known as the Forestry Code) issued in 1975. About a decade earlier, a law created the Reforestation Administration (RA), as a separate entity from the Bureau of Forestry, with a mandate to reforest open and denuded areas. PD 705 brought back RA to a merger with the Bureau of Forest Development (BFD). This decree also promulgated a log export quota system for all timber licenses. After the 1986 EDSA Revolution, the subsequent 1987 Freedom Constitution paved the way for the abolition of the TLAs, and the granting of IFMAs. BFD became a staff bureau to be known as Forest Management Bureau (FMB) and all its forest administrative functions at field level transferred to regional offices of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Despite all these changes, the Forestry code stood as the major law in regard to forest administration. Attempts (for about 17 years) to revise and update the Forestry Code through congressional action has so far failed. Meantime, to effect improvements in managing the forestland resources, various Presidential edicts were issued, notably E.O. 263, which created the CBFM program, and the more recent EO 318, which should lay the groundworks for a stronger effort towards sustainable forest management. The laws, together with DENR orders, are tons of paper that can easily overwhelm the IFMA and ITP licensees, but worse, the POs of CBFMAs and IPs holding CADCs. Assuming that these laws and orders do not run into cross purpose with each other, efforts should be made to make them clear and easily understandable to those directly affected by their implementation. Intensive and Appropriate Training: Field staff as well as those supervising them, will need intensive training that will enable them to effectively execute/oversee sustainable forest management work. For instance, sociology and anthropology knowledge should be imparted to foresters who will work in CBFMA and CADCs. Knowledge of accounting and control systems also need to be acquired by them, so they may be able to help the stakeholders create such systems in their respective areas. Update of skills in using the latest technologies, such as Computers and Geographic Positioning System (GPS), should also be components of staff training programs. Even holders of CBFMAs and CADCs need appropriate training to help them understand their responsibilities. Effective Monitoring and Evaluation System: The survival of the computer should have made these tasks easy. A quick feedback mechanism that determines performance of the licensees in implementing their planned activities could be devised. Such a mechanism will enable Government and everyone else concerned, to take action and remedial measure whenever needed. Major development in each license area should be stored in a computer, and regular evaluation of the data should be carried out by trained staff concerned. Modern technology should be used to facilitate field data storage and analysis. Such an analysis should help in making sound decision that will enhance sustainable forest management. Adequate Funds: Any effort to carry out a sustainable forestry program requires adequate funds. Specific activities, such as monitoring and evaluation, training, and public information campaign, will need timely injection of funds so that they can be successfully implemented. The usual fund sources are Governments budgetary allocation, and technical assistance to support implementation of sustainable forestry activities. For

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CBFMAs and CADCs, initial fund support could come from Government appropriations. Or foreign grants, until individual projects generate revenues. (vi) Assistance to infrastructure and market development: Under the countrys infrastructure program, the construction of strategic roads and bridges that will facilitate transport of products from the forests/plantations must be included. It makes economics sense if the internal road systems of IFMAs, ITPs, CBFMAs and CADCs are linked to major arterial roads that lead to ports of shipment and major timber markets. Assistance should also be provided to the licensees in developing export markets for their products.Tis task is usually given to trade promotion representatives of the Government. Effective Public Information and Education: There is a common misconception that foresters need not talk about the good things we do in our job. On the contrary, if we truly believe that the country will benefit much from sustainable forestry. We cannot take for granted that the public will instantly outset, people must have a clear understanding of hat it takes to reach that favorable situation. Media programs that inform and educate the public on various aspect of sustainable forestry, must be key activities that are adequately funded and carried out regularly. V. 16. Conclusion In the past few minutes, I presented the private sectors view on how Government, in close partnership with stakeholders and licensees, may implement as sustainable forest management program, as envisaged in E.O. 318. We firmly believe that the elements that will lead to sustainable forestry in the country are achievable. We also believe that a common thread in all our efforts to achieve the goal of sustainability is economics. If investors are able to get fair returns, while providing employment in the hinterlands, all other non-monetary benefits, such as protection of the natural environment, socio-cultural upliftment of IPs. and reduction of insurgency, should also be forthcoming. I hope our views contribute substantially towards achieving the goals of this convention. If our ideas are able to galvanize Government into directing a sharpen focus on sustainable forestry, then our confidence will grow that soon the forest-based industry sector will regain its premier status in the national economy. The foresters in this convention should soon realize their key role in the enormous task confronting all of us. As the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I say: So is the road to heaven! Our intention to convert our forestlands into a sustainably managed resource that many generations could benefit from, should not necessarily lead us to fiery environs, but rather to the serene and cool places where economic activities thrive in harmony with all other human endeavors. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH AND GOOD DAY!

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