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A nation movement to reforest at least one million hectares of denuded areas with indigenous tree species by year 2020 is on the way.
Haribon Foundation's One Million Signature Campaign against commercial logging and mining in natural forests culminated with a renewed campaign for positive action called ROAD to 2020. One million signatures to halt commercial logging and mining were handed over to legislators, youth, media and local government unit representatives to signify support for the signature campaign and the ROAD to 2020.
The core group for this movement is the Rainforest Restoration Initiative (RFRI), a loose and open group of various sectors including the church, academe, peoples organizations, industry and non-governmental organizations.
The national movement for rainforestation, ROAD to 2020 is not just about planting individual trees, it is about bringing back the rainforest. In this way, the amazing diversity of forest life survives and the ecological services of the forest – source of water and food, minimization of soil erosion, protection from landslides and others – are maintained. It is guided by the reality of the need to protect the natural forests and to ensure there is also a production component for the livelihood of communities. ROAD stands for Rainforestation Organizations and Advocates.
“The forest is our social security system,” states Professor Blas Tabaranza of Haribon Foundation. “We owe it protection for the free forest benefits and ecosystem services it provides.”
Haribon Foundation with the RFRI recently convened a National Consultation on Philippine Rainforest Restoration from August 16-18, 2005. Participants from the north to the south of the Philippines resolverd to work for the protection of the natural forests and to ensure that benefits from resources are enjoyed by all human beings.CONFERENCE RESOLUTIONS
After three days of looking a bit more deeply into the lessons of the past, learning from them, and brining their challenges to bear on the future, WE, the participants to the National Consultation on Philippine Rainforest Restoration held at Imperial Palace Hotel, Quezon City, Philippines on November 16-18, 2005 have arrived at the following realizations:WE are fully aware that:
declining forest resources and continuing increase in upland population continue to aggravate pressure on our remaining forests.
- conflicting land and resource uses
- conversion of forestlands into agricultural areas and other extractive uses
- forest habitat loss and fragmentation remains the most significant cause of the loss of biodiversity.
- Forest loss and degradation in the Philippines is a complex issue and are often tied up with politics, corruption and rural poverty, and increasing population pressure.
By way of responding to the above realizations, we resolve to:
Work for the protection and expansion of our natural forests;
Ensure that benefits from our forest resources and a balanced ecosystem are enjoyed by all;
Attain our vision to restore at least 1 million hectares of good quality forests;
Bring back our rainforests by planting native timber and non-timber forest species and accelerate the regeneration of natural second-growth forest in the area; particularly in nontenured areas.
Restore forest biodiversity and forest functionality that will guarantee the sustainable supply of forest benefits and ecosystem services; and reduce the risks of natural hazards, and enhance options for the sustainable livelihood of the local people;
Work well with all stakeholders and partners in achieving these goals.
This vision also builds on our commitments to international agreements such as the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, the Conference of the Parties of the Convention of Biological Diversity, the Kyoto Protocol on Clean Development Mechanisms, among others.
