Deforestation in the Philippines

Deforestation is the process of clearing the forest or trees. This is one of Philippines’ major problem. Primary forests in the Philippines are being destroyed due to both logging and agricultural expansion, significantly decreasing the Philippine's natural resources. This type of deforestation is leading to a variety of global changes, as well as numerous local changes. In the Philippines, two particular species of animals, the Tamaraw (the wild buffalo), and the Philippines eagle are almost extinct due to the massive deforestation. The government under Ferdinand Marcos had close ties to the major logging companies and had allowed the massive deforestation of the forests to stimulate the Philippine economy though exports.

Deforestation in the Philippines is attributed to two things: increasing agriculture and illegal logging. Deforestation in this case is a two step process: conversion of primary to secondary forests by logging, and then removal of secondary forests by the expansion of agriculture, mainly small subsistence cultivation. Interestingly enough, population growth is not a driving force behind deforestation in the Philippines. As of 1990, the country’s population was 62.4 million, with a 2.6 percent growth rate. There are close to 7 million farmers populating the uplands who need to make a living at the expense of the forests. Rural population growth has an affect on agricultural expansion, thus having an indirect affect on deforestation. So, large-scale logging followed by agriculture in the 1970-1990 period was the major process by which deforestation occurred in the Philippines.

The result of deforestation are: erosion, loss of topsoil, landslides, silted streams, vulnerability to severe weather fronts, changing climate, extinct wildlife, extinct plant life, and the loss of natural timber resources. Other impacts of deforestation is a slight increase in agricultural subsistence farming, which also indirectly leads to an increase in population.