The Forests for Life Movement (formerly Rainforestation Organizations and Advocates or ROAD to 2020) is a movement committed to restore forests. Forests are more than just a group of trees. They hold biodiversity or a variety of life, and are a crucial part of watersheds worldwide; areas in which people like you and I get most of our water from.
Unlike the type of reforestation that uses any tree species, even exotic kinds to guarantee fast growth or to build plantations for lumber, rainforestation is a practice that utilizes the planting of native or indigenous trees. In doing so, soil quality and stability in tree planting sites are improved, biodiversity of local areas are brought back, and ecological services that forests provide are maximized. These services include, but are not limited to, provision of water from forested watersheds, ample oxygen and clean air, carbon sequestration, and more.
Research has shown that Philippine forest cover must reach 54% in order to maintain these ecological processes in the country (Sajise 1996). The current state of Philippine forests is at 22.8% (DENR-FMB 2012), which is far from the ideal.
Forests for Life Movement is building a national effort to bring back our forests to ensure the continuous provision of basic human needs, and to conserve the unique biodiversity that live in them.
Vision
To bring back biodiversity of Philippine Rainforests using native tree species to sustain provision of ecological goods and services.
Mission
An environmental conservation movement to restore Philippine rainforests using native tree species through an informed and engaged people.
Latest updates from the field
The new Forests for Life Movement launched on July 14, 2018 with communities from various sectors joining in on the celebration. A tree planting culminated the event in the future forests of Mts. Banahaw-San Cristobal. Read more on the launch here.
From 2014 to 2015 a total of 2,079 volunteers participated in the tree planting activities conducted within Mts. Banahaw – San Cristobal Protected Landscape or MBSCPL. Volunteers consisted of corporate and individual donors, students, Haribon members, and Local Government Units (LGUs), including members of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources DENR, Philippine Army (PA), Philippine National Police (PNP), and community partners.
The restoration efforts in these areas will gradually improve the ecological status of both the Strict Protection Zone (SPZ) and the Multiple Use Zone (MUZ). Hedge or peripheral planting of trees were made around the existing farms particularly in Liliw.
An estimated 300 families have benefitted from this partnership so far from supplemental incomes from Haribon’s Adopt-A-Seedling program, and soon, from the ecological benefits of the tree plantings.
An interactive map of Haribon’s 2014-2015 tree planting sites can be seen online here: bit.ly/road1415
A special thanks to our partners from People’s Organizations, government, and the academe: ENRGI (Environment and Natural Resources Guards. Inc.), SAMAKABA (Samahan ng mga Mamamayang Nagsasaka Para sa Kaunlaran ng Banahaw), BUVFAI (Bukal Upland Vegetable Farmers Association Inc.), Barangay Council of Tanauan, Real, Quezon, Baras Municipal Government, SKFA (Sagip Kagubatan Famers Association), 4KD-Kilusang Kabalikat sa Kaunlaran sa Kanayunan ng Dampay Inc., University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Rizal Municipal Government of Laguna, Rizal Provincial Government, Mahipon Farmers Marketing Cooperative, Muling Pagsibol ng mga Punla para sa Kinabukasan, Ecosave, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 4A and National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR), & NUVALI Companies.
Objective
Forests for Life Movement (formerly ROAD to 2020) is a movement committed to restore forests using native tree species to sustain provision of ecological goods and services through an informed and engaged public.
Duration
2005 onwards
By the numbers
- 31.34 Hectares planted and nurtured by volunteers.
- 57.8 Hectares covered for monitoring.
- 2,079 Volunteers of different ages from various sectors.
- 39,164 Indigenous trees planted.
