State of The Philippine Environment and Society Rio 10 Sustainability Watch

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Sustainability Watch
State of the
Philippine Society
& Environment
E i t

2. Susta ab ty atc
Sustainability Watch
WHAT IS AT STAKE IN THE
DESTRUCTION OF THE
PHILIPPINE
ENVIRONMENT …

3. the Philippines is a MEGA-DIVERSITY COUNTRY -
one of the Earth’s biologically wealthiest nations. We have
been cited as having, hectare for hectare one of the
having hectare, Sustainability Watch
highest degree of biological diversity on the globe. (e.g.
there are more tree species for example in one hectare of
the Luzon island than in all of Northern Europe)
The Philippines is a mega diverse country
Th Phili i i di

4. While we are one of the Mega-Diversity Countries, the
Philippines is also one of the HOTTEST OF ALL HOT
Susta ab ty atc
Sustainability Watch
SPOTS – th most severely endangered among th
the t l d d the
mega-diversity countries. Of all the 25 global hot spots
identified, the Philippines has the smallest remaining
primary vegetation – only 3% of the original extent
extent.
Furthermore, In a recent international
study,
study it was realized that except for
Vietnam, the Philippines was the least
prepared to protect communities and
the environment from the ecologicalg
stresses created by economic growth.
But… we are also one of the HOTTEST OF
ut… a e a so o e o t e O S O
ALL BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS

5. Susta ab ty atc
Sustainability Watch
Poverty
More than 40% poverty rate.
Rural poverty & the continuing migration to urban centers
p y g g
cause rapid growth of urban poor communities in the cities.
Because rural communities, especially those on the upland live
in ecologically fragile areas, poverty directly forces these
areas
communities to exploit the remaining natural resources
unsustainably.
Yet,
Yet the problem of poverty in the Philippines is not mainly a
problem of lack, but a problem of equitable sharing of
resources. The top 10% own more than 40% of all income
while the lowest 10% own less than 2%
hile lo est o n
Resources needed to reduce and eliminate poverty are limited.
The Philippines is still saddled with a debt burden that cannot
be supported.

6. Susta ab ty atc
Sustainability Watch
Bad Governance & Lack of People Empowerment
The Philippines ranks 9th in an Asian regional correlation
study on corruption
corruption.
It is estimated that at least 30% of government funds,
including funds for sustainable development including
environmental protection & conservation; is lost to corruption
i l i i i l i
every year.
For every peso of collected tax, .57 cents g
yp , goes to government
g
expenditures, while .43 cents goes to private pockets.
We have given birth to so many laws and policies that
enshrine people participation And yet, people continue to
participation. yet
complain about inaccessibility of information and seat for
representation, thus hampering their ability to fully participate

7. Susta ab ty atc
Sustainability Watch
Dangerous P
D Population Growth
l ti G th
Philippine Population was estimated 80M last 2000 with an
annual growth rate of 2.4% - a 1.4M annual increase &
g
projected by 2025 to be 100M. This means that the total
population will double in just one generation.
For the first time in our history, almost half of the entire
history
population will be living in cities. In 1990 43% is urban with
an urban migration rate of 3.6% which has raised the current
urban population to about 48%.
48%
In 1990 18 million live in the upland communities with about
30% of them living in ecologically sensitive area. Today, it
has
h reached a staggering number of about 24 to 26 million
h d t i b f b t t illi
with densities of 160 to 175 person per sg. km. This means
that we have already surpassed the carrying capacity of our
upland communities since 1990.
l d iti i 1990

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Sustainability Watch
Nature Abuse
Loss of Forest Cover and Watersheds. In 1934, the
Philippine had 17 million hectares of forest. In 1990, this has
been reduced to only 6 million with only 800,000 to 900,000
considered virgin or old growth forests.
Coastal and Marine Ecosystem Destruction. The major
y j
problem in marine/coastal ecosystem is over fishing.
Destructive fishing practices result in decreasing catch of
small fishers due to increasing fisher population or
g p p
encroachment of commercial fishing vessels with their highly
exploitative gears into fragile coastal waters. Of the 50
traditional fishing g
g grounds, 11 have already been destroyed..
, y y
The country is already harvesting about 1.3 million tons in
fish catch every year. We are now nearing the estimated
maximum production of 1.45 to 1.8 million tons.
a u p oduct o o . 5 .8 o to s.

9. Susta ab ty atc
Sustainability Watch
Nature Abuse
Rapid Loss of Biological Diversity. Due to the rate of
destruction of our forests, it is estimated that the country has
forests
lost 50% of our endemic plant species. Only 5% of the
country’s 30,000 sg. Km of coral reefs is in excellent
condition. In 1918 the country had 500,000 mangrove forests.
di i h h d 00 000 f
In 1990 only 139,000 to 142,000 remains. Of this only about
10,000 to 20,000 are old g
, , growth or virgin mangrove forests.
g g
We have lost nearly 80% of our mangroves in the past 75
years. 30 to 50% of our seagrass beds have been lost in the last
50 years.

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Sustainability Watch
Nature Abuse
Bio-Piracy and the Imposition of Intellectual Property Rights
(IPR).
(IPR) Our biological resources are important to us not only for
their intrinsic value and the role they play in ensuring our food
security and the various benefits they give to out earth’s
continued functioning. It is also important because a large part
i df i i i l i b l
of our nature heritage is tied up with the knowledge and practice
concerning the utilization of these biological resources. Based
g g
on present trends, companies and institutions that develop useful
products and processes from traditional knowledge and
biological innovations apply for intellectual property rights
(IPR) over so-called innovations. Through IPR, they acquire
monopoly rights to prohibit others from using the innovation
without paying for such use.

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Sustainability Watch
Nature Abuse
Modern Biotechnology and Genetically Modified Organisms
(GMOs).
(GMO ) The promise of GMOs in plants to solve malnutrition
and food insufficiency are veiled with uncertainties. As a
technological innovation that recently swept the Philippines at
a rate beyond its capacity to regulate, health-related risks
particularly to individuals with impaired immune systems have
been raised but not adequately answered. Even the scientific
community does not have consensus opinion on safety and the
range of risks possible in the absence of tests to human
volunteers.
volunteers

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Sustainability Watch
Nature Abuse
Climate Change & Renewable and Clean Energy. The
Philippines is 50% dependent on imported fuel, mainly
Phili i i d d t i t df l i l
petroleum. The burning of petroleum produces prodigious
amounts of heat and gases that are not only hazardous to
human health but are greenhouse substances that exacerbate
global warming. With increased population, industrialization
and electrification our contribution to global warming will
electrification,
also grow.

13. Susta ab ty atc
Sustainability Watch
Nature Abuse
Sustainable Agriculture.The country is using too much of
fertilizers and pesticides. We are using 4.5 million tons of
pesticides 45
fertilizers per year and 16,000 tons (a 3 fold increase from
4,000 tons 5 years ago) of pesticides. Fertilizers are leached
and end up i the rivers and seas. Too much use degrades the
d d in h i d h d d h
soil. Pesticides on the other hand poisons our water supply
There is a corporate monopolization of seeds, technologies and
all other agricultural inputs. Government policies and
standards prevent farmers from exercising their rights to
choose the kind of seeds they want to plant in the manner and
h th ki d f d th t t l t i th d
time they prefer.

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Sustainability Watch
Attack at Cultural Diversity
Rapid Loss of Cultural Diversity. There are more than 100
groups of i di
f indigenous peoples (IPs) communities in the
l (IP ) iti i th
Philippines. Because of development aggression, most of
these indigenous communities who for centuries have
continued to practice sustainable living are losing their land
and their cultural identity; and with it the value of
sustainability.
sustainability Traditional stewards of our upland and forest
areas primarily Indigenous Peoples’ (IP) Communities
challenged by massive changes in their physical as well as
cultural environment are starting to reject their sustainable
lt l i t t ti t j t th i t i bl
ways and abandon their original role.

15. Susta ab ty atc
Sustainability Watch
A promising solution to the many problems
confronting Philippine society today is the
genuine implementation of Sustainable
Development – a development that meets the
needs of the present generations without
compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs.

16. Susta ab ty atc
Sustainability Watch
State of the
Philippine Society
& Environment
E i t