THE chair of the Senate committee on climate change called on foresters to preserve and enhance the forests to fight poverty in the countryside, improve the environment, promote health and combat climate change.
     
In a keynote address on Saturday at the 61st anniversary of the Society of Filipino Foresters at the Manila Grand Opera Hotel, Sen. Loren Legarda deplored that Philippine forests have continuously declined throughout the years.
    
“Forest land area alarmingly went down from 36.3 percent or more than one-third of the country’s land area in 1970 to 18 percent in 2001. Evidently, most of our country’s once rich forests are now gone,” she lamented.
    
“This is tragic because forests are indispensable in the overall ecological balance of the world by acting as a home for biodiversity and by protecting vital water and soil resources. Also, forests serve as major carbon sinks that absorb great quantities of carbon dioxide that otherwise would add to the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming and rapid climate change.”
    
Legarda also stressed that deforestation is a major cause of poverty in the rural areas as they cause floods during typhoons and heavy rains, and deprive farmers of raw materials needed for their basic needs.  She also had advocated agro-forestry — a combination of agriculture and forestry — as a means of increasing farm productivity and farmers’ income.
    
“Taking care of our forests not only responds to climate change and other environmental concerns but also deals with persistent local poverty because forests are a vital part of the development in the rural areas. I envision every part of the country, every nook and cranny, to be planted with trees so as to be eventually capable of developing to their fullest potential,” said Legarda.
 
“Recent events have shown us the grim scenario of climate change impact. The intense and record-high rainfall by Ondoy, Pepeng and Santi, as well as the consequent fatalities and damages have shown us that the price we pay for denuding our forests and abusing the environment is well beyond our means.”
 
Legarda appealed to the foresters to redouble their efforts in protecting the forests. “Our foresters are the foot soldiers … our forests’ caretakers … and are also our partners in reducing poverty in the rural areas. Indeed, many are already rising to the challenge”
   
She cited the recently passed Climate Change Act, of which she was the principal author and sponsor, as giving communities greater responsibility and opportunity to initiate programs to protect and enhance the environment.