Empowering Reforestation in the Philippines

by Angela Nicole Mananghaya 2012 Forests atomic number 18 significant to mankind as salutary as to former(a) vivacious organisms for they append beneficial materials and effects that the nutrition need. These include the wood, raw materials that are usually converted to usable products much(prenominal) as furniture, wooden shelters, etc. In addition, these forests sponsor prevent floods and dominion erosion, increase underground water supply and humidity of air, provide an home plate for the wildlife, and check air pollution (Save Forests and Wildlife, n. d, 2).However, in the Pearl of the Orient- the Philippines- sustained degradation of the forests or what is known to be disforestation (Maycock, 2011, p. 398) is macrocosm performed, resulting to unspoilt problems including the displacement of wildlife species, the occurrence of laborious effects during or after a tropic storm (which is commonly experienced by Filipinos), and the increasing take of temperature in the farming. In fact, Philippines ranks number three in the publics fastest deforestation rate (Padilla, 2011) that has mainly been due to agricultural expansions and fearsome cases of illegal logging (Philippine Deforestation, n. , 5). Fortunately, there exists the natural or well-educated restocking of depleted forests and woodlands, the inverse of the given process, which may primarily address the prejudicial effects of deforestation in the country- Reforestation, as it is so called. One of the things that re-afforestation offers is not necessarily to restore but prevent the extinction of wildlife species as their habitats are continuously being destroyed. According to Toothman (n. , 5), the reforestation of the corridors of trees that lie surrounded by forest parcels could give the animals and other species a larger and safer habitat where they could scuffle with other populations, thereby boosting their genetic diversity and preventing their extinction. In fact, this partic ular system has already been d adept in the country. In the island of Mindanao, on the higher slopes of bait Malindang, exists a high biodiversity. Through reforesting the trees around the old forest, the existing species direct had a larger space to reproduce, conserving and attracting those that be possessed of been driven away to the parvenu habitat (Reforestation, n. , 1). The same process has been performed in the Forest of Tabunan in Sitio Cantipla, Cebu City. Through reforesting the forests corridors, the Cebu Flowerpeckers, called manuto by the topical anaesthetics, together with 51 other bird species, have been found in the regenerated forests (Lato, 2012, 5). Surprisingly enough, this never-been-photographed bird specie- the Cebu Flowerpecker- was believed to be extinct until its discovery in 1992 in the Tabunan Forest Corridor, being nonpareil of the ten rarest birds and top fifty critically endangered species in the world (Lato, 2012, 6).With the proper building o f floodplains and water channeling systems, reforestation also helps prevent the severe effects that Filipinos encounter whenever a tropical storm comes (Sally, n. d, 3). Among the typhoons that have ravaged the country are Reming in Bicol and Ondoy in Metro Manila, which have both resulted to remarkably drastic floods (Reforestation, 2011, 1). In fact, in just one decade, the country has already experienced twenty-seven floods that have destroyed crops and infrastructures with deforestation being seen as the major cause (Reforestation, 2011, 2).Yearning for a way to address this problem, Tatit Quiblat, the spokesperson of the Philippine Eagle Foundation, has once said that instead of pouring billions for eternal rest operations during disasters, the government, civil society, and private sectors should be vigilant in pickings up preventive measures by reforestation of the countrys tropical and mangrove forests (Valermo, 2011, 7). Gladly, there have been projects that have perfor med such action. The Maynilad Water Services, co-ordinated has started its program called Plant for Life, which aims to plant fifty thousand saplings in Ipo Dam Watershed (50K Trees to Help Reforest, 2012, 2). We not only help to protect the watershed area that supplies our raw water needs, we also provide a long term solution to the cycle of flooding during the wet season, claims Ricky Vargas, the president and CEO of the stated company (50K Trees to Help Reforest, 2012, 4). another(prenominal) project is the reforestation of mangrove forests along the Aklan River in New Buswang, Aklan, resulting to the renascence of a flood-prone area to a place that is safe during the occurrence of typhoons (Tacio, 2012, 14). Lastly, one of the most well known effects of reforestation is the sweetener of the local climate.Due to the degradation of forests, an increasing descend of carbon dioxide is released in the atmosphere as lesser plants take them up during photosynthesis, resulting to th e rise of temperature (Maycock, 2012, p. 399). Through reforestation, however, thirty-eight scores of carbon dioxide per hectare could be captured and sequestered per year (Reforestation, 2007, 7). This leads to the production of oxygen, enhancement of the climate and temperature, and the reduction of the demands of burning large amounts of fossil fuels for cooling in the summer (Reforestation, 2007, 8).The process of regenerating forests takes a plentiful amount of time before the roles of the degraded ones could be performed again. Once the planted saplings have grown to trees, however, it is undeniable that the restored forests are significantly beneficial to the environment, to mankind, and to other living organisms. With this certain process, not only do the destructive effects of deforestation may be addressed but also the concerns that could emerge if these are left ignored such as threatening climate conditions, passing high levels of floods, total extinction of species, a nd disastrous imbalance in the ecosystem.Indeed, this may just be one of the ways to address the certain relinquish but surely, this would benefit not only the present but the early generations as well. References * Lato, Cris Evert. 2012. Lessons in Rare Wildlife while Reforesting Cebu. Retrieved from http//news selective information. inquirer. net/228565/lessons-in-rare-wildlife-while-reforesting-cebu * Maycock, Paul. 2011. World parole F. 7. Scott Fenzer Company. p. 398 * Maycock, Paul. 2011. World Book F. 7. Scott Fenzer Company. . 399 * N. A. N. D. Save Forests and Wildlife. Retrieved from http//nowsave. blogspot. com/2009/10/save-forests-and-wildlife. html * N. A. N. D. Reforestation. Retrieved from http//www. treesforall. info/projects/reforestation-philippines. html * N. A. N. D. Philippine Deforestation. Retrieved from http//www1. american. edu/TED/PHILWOOD. HTM * N. A. 2007. Reforestation. Retrived from http//en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Reforestation * N. A. 2011.