Philippines--Row Rages Over Lifting of Log Export Ban

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WORLDWIDE FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS

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Forest Networking a Project of Ecological Enterprises

http://forests.org/

4/22/98

OVERVIEW & COMMENTARY by EE

The Philippine government has announced plans to lift its nine-year

ban on the export of timber in order to earn badly needed foreign

exchange. The ban was in response to the fact that 3/4 of the

nation's forest cover has been lost and only 14% of remaining forests

are primary. Thus, just 3% of the original primary forest area is

intact. This denuding of the countryside has had real and significant

impacts on the ecology, quality of life and future development

potential of the country. The decision has sparked protest and now

the matter is to be put to public hearings. Economic crisis would not

seem to warrant such short term measures which would surely only

worsen economic and ecological prospects--which are after all just two

sides of the same coin.

It is interesting to note the various forest management decisions

across South East Asia in response to the economic crisis--from the

Solomon Islands deciding to pursue another forest paradigm, to Papua

New Guinea holding the line on log export taxes, and now the

Philippines essentially giving away the rest of the shop. The forests

of the region have provided for local people for millennia, and long

after the present crisis has faded, people's quality of life will be

impacted upon by decisions made today. Just my opinion.

g.b.

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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:

Title: PHILIPPINES: Row Rages Over Lifting of Ban on Lumber Exports

Source: InterPress Service via Econet

Status: Copyright, contact source for permission to reprint

Date: April 17, 1998

Byline: Johanna Son

/** reg.philippine: 101.0 **/

** Topic: IPS: PHILIPPINES: Row Rages Over Lifting of Ban on Lumber

Exports **

** Written 4:10 PM Apr 20, 1998 by newsdesk in cdp:reg.philippine **

Worldwide distribution via the APC networks.

*** 17-Apr-98 ***

Title: PHILIPPINES: Row Rages Over Lifting of Ban on Lumber Exports

By Johanna Son

MANILA, Apr 17 (IPS) - A firestorm of protests has erupted over a

decision by the Philippine government to lift a nine-year-old ban on

lumber exports, a move aimed at earning badly needed foreign exchange

amid Asia's economic crunch.

The decision, issued by the environment department on Mar. 11 and

publicised on Apr. 8, has kindled a debate on whether the country's

forests have had enough breathing space to allow a resumption of such

exports.

The export ban will be suspended for six months, during which less

than 10 logging firms in good standing would be allowed to export

lumber to get ''optimum value'' for hardwood like Philippine mahogany

and plantation-produced wood.

Filipino officials, led by President Fidel Ramos, say advances in

technology and stepped-up planting of replacement forests are

sufficient to safeguard the state of Philippine forests.

But environmental critics say the decision ''defies logic'', not least

because it comes at a time when the drought-stricken country is

battling forest fires in parts of the country.

''It's very important that every sector of society should help in

times of financial and economic crisis,'' said Environment Secretary

Victor Ramos.

President Ramos said fears about the decision leading to unchecked and

illegal logging were unfounded, because ''the planting of replacement

forests was done several years ago''.

But this week, the torrent of criticism from green activists to the

Catholic Church forced the Ramos government to soften and submit the

lifting of the export ban, belatedly, to public hearings.

The first hearing was held on Thursday, and a final decision is

expected later in the month.

''The bishops do not understand why instead of embarking on a massive

reforestation project, the government allowed concessionaires to even

export lumber,'' said Archbishop Oscar Cruz, president of the Catholic

Bishops Conference of the Philippines.

The government's order to allow lumber exports is a ''perfect case of

the cure being worse than the disease'', Ron Gutierrez of the Haribon-

Protect the Environment group told a local newspaper.

The Philippines suspended lumber exports in March 1989, after a

decision to stop all logging in virgin forests and to limit operations

of logging firms within reforested, logged over forests or second

growth areas. Timber and timber products from commercial plantations

are exempted from the ban.

That decision to stop lumber exports was made in view of the fact that

the Philippines' old growth forests stands at .805 million hectares,

or 14 percent of total forest land of 5.49 million hectares.

The archipelago's original forest cover used to be 27 million hectares

or 90 percent of total land area, but by 1988 this had fallen to 6.5

million hectares or less than 22 percent of total land area.

The estimated deforestation rate in the country ranges from 100,000 to

270,000 hectares a year.

As public opposition to widescale logging grew over the years -- the

area covered by concessions reached more than one-third of the country

in the seventies -- the Philippines has scaled down logging

operations.

Over the past decade it has ordered a ban on the export of logs and

stopped issuing new timber license agreements (TLAs).

Ramos, the environment chief, says none of these rules have changed,

except for the fact that the few firms with TLAs and those running

integrated forest management contracts can now sell overseas the

products they are already making.

He estimates that this would involve some 200,000 cubic metres

of lumber. This lumber would not come from old growth forests,

because logging is banned there, Ramos added.

At present, he said local logging firms were being forced to

sell premium mahogany to construction firms, when cheaper imported

wood can be used, because the furniture industry cannot absorb

their products.

Officials said there will no be increase in the volume of

timber allowed to be cut in the country, or the coverage of areas

where logging is allowed.

''This six months is a small window,'' Ramos said. ''If it is

found out this encourages illegal logging, we'll simply just close

that window.''

Critics, however say that whatever the technical distinctions,

lifting the ban on lumber exports creates a perception of demand

for the products that would provide incentive for illegal or

stepped-up logging.

This, they said, may reverse whatever gains the Philippines has

order (lifting the export ban) is a mistake,'' Jukka

Holopannen of the Haribon Foundation was quoted as saying.

Nearly 20 non-government groups are launching a signature

campaign to get one million signatures to convince the environment

department to reverse its decision.

Church officials also asked how the government could take such

a move at a time when the Philippines is suffering through a

serious drought, which has helped fuel a spate of forest and brush

fires that has affected 20,000 hectares of land in different parts

of the country. (END/IPS/AP-EN/JS/RAL/98)

Origin: Manila/PHILIPPINES/

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[c] 1998, InterPress Third World News Agency (IPS)

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