Forestry and the environment : The Philippines case study

This report summarizes a 1993 field study of the $11 million social forestry component (1983-91) of A.I.D.'s Rainfed Resources Development Project. Although it ended before demonstrating the benefits of repeated forest harvesting (the rotations of which require a minimum of 7-10 years), the project has been a great success. It has sensitized local households and government agencies to environmental problems in upland areas; increased government and NGO capacity to develop and promote low-cost forest use and management; used community organizations to establish sustainable social forestry programs; and developed "stewardship" arrangements whereby local groups manage and use forested public upland areas. Some problems persist: official attention continues to focus on lowland irrigated rice cultivation (neglecting the needs of upland areas where the subtle relationships between forests and crop cultivation are poorly understood); the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Agriculture have overlapping jurisdictions in regulating and supporting land use in upland areas because there is no clear title to sloping public upland areas; households have only leaseholder or squatter status and thus limited incentive to manage the land responsibly; and the high levels of poverty and illiteracy in upland communities make the provision of social services and technology transfer difficult. There is a also a need for stronger political commitment, clearer tenure arrangements, and more technically sound approaches to forestry. Nevertheless, community forestry has emerged as one of the Philippine government's major tools in countering forest degradation in upland areas. Lessons learned include the following. (1) Motivated and competent staff are critical to sustaining community-based conservation forestry activities. (2) In the absence of positive political will, social forestry approaches can only partially meet deforestation challenges. (3) Sound forestry practices spread and are sustained best when access to benefits of improved management can be assured of land for more than one harvest cycle. (4) Hands-on training and technical expertise for both leaders and participants is a necessary part of upland social forestry programs. (5) Upland forestry management systems need an "economic engine" for sustainability and expansion.