Beating world records are supposed to be exciting. The one we are about to go into is not. In fact, it is awful and 2016 has the misfortune of witnessing this record-breaking loss of forest cover in the entire planet.
Wildfires, logging, and clear-cutting ravaged forests in various parts of the world, from Brazil to Portugal, from Canada to Indonesia and the Republic of Congo. The Amazon rainforest isn’t supposed to catch fire (it’s a rainforest!) and yet it did. Researchers can only surmise that humans caused these fires.
Researchers at the University of Maryland used hundreds of satellite images to calculate that in 2016 the world lost 297,000 square kilometers of tree cover, equivalent to the Philippines’ total area. This is 50% more than the previous year’s loss.
Drought is making the situation worse. As the planet warms up, thinned out forests are more susceptible to fires. In a vicious cycle, forest fires worsen climate change. Remember the wildfires of Indonesia in 2015? We in the Philippines were also affected by the smog drifting in across the seas, diminishing visibility and our quality of air. Reports said that the emissions from these wildfires actually exceeded those from the entire US economy on a day-to-day basis.
Our own forests are also under constant threat by timber poachers, land-grabbers, slash-and-burn farmers, charcoal makers, and human encroachers. The Ipo watershed forest guards, for instance, have to be on constant watch against forest arsonists or else we shall lose more forest cover to them and our water supply with it. Last year, Mt. Apo was ravaged by a huge forest fire, affecting more than 100 hectares of forests. The fire was said to have begun at one of the campsites.
In Palawan, thousands of roadside trees could get the ax soon for a road-widening project, which could affect the island’s biodiversity. In Quezon City last May, over 600 trees, mostly Narra trees, along Commonwealth Avenue did get the ax as a sacrifice to the MRT 7 project. In Manila, the city’s last remaining lung, the Arroceros Forest Park, is now being eyed as a site for a new gym.
Mt. Ugo in Nueva Vizcaya. Photo by @jsncruz
Sounds depressing? It doesn’t have to be… because each of these instances is an opportunity to save the day. Click on the links to see that there are groups and individuals fighting hard to preserve our remaining forests and we can help them. We can join or organize tree-planting activities. We can also use our own voice to tell the world that we care about our forests. This can reach our leaders and encourage them to prioritize the protection of our natural resources for the sake of everyone.
So what do you think? How can we better take care of our forests? Share your thoughts with us below.
