Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW

by Antonio C. Antonio

December 18, 2014

In 1998, the Forest Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (FMB-DENR) reported that upland degradation takes one of the following forms:

1. Decline in the productive capacity of the soil as a result of erosion and changes in the hydrological, biological, chemical and physical properties of the soil.
2. Decline in the quantity and/or quality of the natural biomass and decrease in the vegetative ground cover.
3. Decline in genetic, species and ecosystem diversity (with possible extinction of some species of fauna and flora) within and downstream of an upland area.
4. Decline in the quantity and/or quality of both surface and ground water resources and increased risk of downstream flood damage.
5. Changes in the microclimactic conditions that increase the risk of crop failure.
6. Decline in the total land area used for agricultural and upland production, or loss of land with potential for such use, as a result of suitable land being converter to non-agricultural/forestry uses as urban settlements, golf courses, industrial parks and roads, or used for mineral extraction purposes.
7. Decline in the scenic value of natural landscapes due to destructive mining and quarrying activities.

If we were to consider the facts mentioned in this report as the metaphoric (meaning: a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable) YESTERDAY, the FMB-DENR was spot on in predicting the status of upland ecosystems TODAY.  Having said this and now that we are fully aware of our present situation, TODAY is not at all gone and measures could still be undertaken to reverse environmental degradation.  We do not need to wait for TOMORROW. 

Just my little thoughts…

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