Forests and Innovation: New Solutions for a Better World is the theme of today’s celebration of International Forest Day 2024.

According to Global Forest Watch: “In 2010, the Philippines had 13.2 million hectares of natural forest, extending over 62 percent of its land area. In 2022, it lost 62.9 thousand hectares of natural forest, equivalent to 39.8 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.” Viewing this apparently dire situation from another angle, the international monitoring agency reported: “From 2002 to 2022, Philippines lost 185,000 hectares of humid primary forest, making up 13 percent of its total tree cover loss in the same time period. Total area of humid primary forest in Philippines decreased by four percent in this time period.”

It is truly alarming to note that the 2022 figure is one-third of the total losses over the most recent 20-year period.

To the common tao, the significance of today’s observance may not be readily appreciated. A videoclip produced for the United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) points out: “Innovation is unlocking many long-kept secrets of forests. Buried deep under the bark of trees are powerful solutions for many of today’s problems.” For instance, harmful plastics that clog the oceans and destroy the world’s marine biodiversity can now be replaced by biodegradable materials derived from wood.

At the 160th anniversary last year of the Philippine Forestry Service, now known as the Forest Management Bureau of the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. said: “It is only right that we commemorate your anniversary to further inspire further progress in preserving our trees and our forests in these coming years, This administration is committed in ensuring environmental integrity and sustainability for the benefit of our present and future generations.”

Implementing President Marcos’ directive, DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga created the national environment and natural resources geospatial mapping tool for identifying areas for reforestation, watershed management as well as for the crafting mining policies. She said the National Natural Resource Geospatial Database Office (GDO) was organized after her first meeting with the President in which he approved her recommendation to manage the country’s natural resources systematically by establishing a physical baseline. This would enable the DENR to prioritize areas of forestation and reforestation; moreover, this would “aid the government in climate change mitigation and carbon dioxide sequestration from the atmosphere.” The DENR is also tapping the services of the Philippine Space Agency on the use of satellite images to ensure pinpoint accuracy in marshaling the resources needed to regenerate forest resources that have been decimated.

The DENR is continuously working across silos, partnering with other government agencies, local government units, the academe, private sector, and people’s organizations, to protect, enhance, and sustainably manage the country’s forest resources. Hence, it is tapping private investments to develop an initial area of one million hectares that could be used for earning carbon credits as well as turning out wood products.

Truly commendable are the DENR’s efforts on “continuously working across silos, partnering with other government agencies, local government units, the academe, private sector, and people’s organizations, to protect, enhance, and sustainably manage the country’s forest resources.”