Module 4 Lesson 3 - 0
Module 4 Lesson 3 - 0
Threat, and
Protection
LESSON 3
Abstraction
• Trees and plants play a major part in the world’s initiatives to
slow the pace of climate change, preserve its wildlife, and
support the lives and livelihoods of billions of human beings.
(Nunez, 2019)
• But the mass destruction of trees and the ecosystems they
support continues at a rapid pace, and long-term benefits are
sacrificed for short-term profits.
• National Geographic reports that while forests still cover about
30% of the world’s land area, they are disappearing at an
alarming rate. For a period of 26 years between 1990 and
2016, the world lost 502,000 square miles (1.3 million square
kilometers) of forest, which is an area larger than South Africa.
Since humans started sawing down forests, 46% of trees have
been felled, according to a 2015 study in the journal Nature.
Even the ‘Earth’s lung,’ the Amazon Rainforest, has seen 17%
of its forest cover destroyed in the last half century, with losses
still continuing
Deforestation
• Deforestation, defined in Live Science as “the
permanent removal of trees to make room for
something besides forest,” which includes the clearing
of land for agriculture or grazing for livestock, or using
the wood for fuel, construction, or manufacturing.
• Deforestation results in more carbon dioxide being
released into the atmosphere. Trees take in carbon
dioxide from the air to be able to do photosynthesis,
and the carbon is locked chemically in their wood.
When trees are burned, this locked carbon returns to
the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Fewer trees mean
more carbon dioxide is present in the atmosphere,
accelerating global warming.
• Serrat, O. (2016) in his study ‘Deforestation in the Philippines’ has
found that while forests are a major natural resource of the
country, it has suffered immense depletion as a result of logging,
ineffective reforestation, population pressure, and shifting
cultivation.
• As the lead agency responsible for the formulation,
implementation of policies and guidelines, and rules related to
environmental management, the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources (DENR) also sets the rules and regulations that
govern the exploration, development, extraction, disposition, and
use of forests, minerals, wildlife, and other natural resources.
• Meanwhile, it is the Forest Management Bureau of the Department
of Environment and Natural Resources that provides technical
guidance to the central and field offices for the effective
protection, development, and conservation of forestlands and
watersheds. The bureau recommends policies and programs
towards the achievement of sustainable forest management,
based on science and principles of good forest governance.
Causes of Deforestation in the Philippines
•
Causes of Deforestation in the
Philippines
• Kaingin System – the method of clearing
forested areas by cutting down and burning trees
and plant growth for farming/cultivation purposes.
Also known as ‘swidden farming’ in other
countries, it is a traditional practice but
considered a destructive agricultural system used
in many parts of the world. (Domingo, 2012)
Causes of Deforestation in
the Philippines