Save the Forest

SAVE THE FOREST

By Anton Antonio

March 26, 2016

Forest certification is a mechanism for forest monitoring, tracing and labelling of timber, wood and pulp products and non-timber forest products, where the quality of forest management is judged against a series of agreed standards.  Credible forest certification covers much more than just logging and harvesting practices but also accounts for the social and economic well-being of forest and plantation workers, local/upland communities, transparency and inclusiveness in the planning, implementation and decision-making process.

Forest certification is largely seen as the most important initiative in the last ten years that aims to promote the best sustainable forest management practices.  Sustainable forest management is a key component for a future where people can live in harmony with nature.

Forest products are renewable which sets them apart from other natural resources.  It is therefore important to note that the sustainable use of renewable forest products can generally help provide forest dependent communities with shelter, fuel, medicines, livelihood opportunities and other services… on top of providing a home for the numerous flora and fauna.  Improving forest biodiversity is a critical component in climate change mitigation initiatives.

Prohibiting the use of forest products is not a viable solution as it hinders on socio-economic considerations for forest-dependent communities.  As an alternative, sustainable forest management practices is the key concept which forest certification is promoting.  Forest certification, however, will only work when the system includes (1) a comprehensive management standard, (2) a rigorous control mechanism and (3) a broad involvement and participation of economic, environmental and social stakeholders.  Sustainable and responsible forest management together with a credible and acceptable system of forest certification plus sound regulations and legislation may be the perfect combination of solutions to our declining forest cover.

At present, there is a wide spectrum of forest certification systems and schemes.  The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) --- an international non-governmental organization, founded on April 29, 1961 and based in Morges, Switzerland, working in the field of biodiversity conservation and preservation and the reduction of humanity’s footprint on the environment --- considers the Forest Stewardship Council (FCS) to be the best forest certification system as it provides for environmentally responsible, socially beneficial, and economically viable and sustainable forest management international standards.  On the other hand, the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) --- an international non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, dedicated to the promotion sustainable forest management through third-party certification --- is largely viewed as the international body that assists local forest certification systems craft their own domestic standards.  On the 1^st of March 2016, under the guidance and sponsorship of the PEFC, the National Governing Board of the Philippine Sustainable Forest Certification (NGB-PSFC) system was formally launched and organized through the signing of the Framework Agreement.

The forest certification initiative may not be the generic solution to our dwindling forest resources but this, together with consistent law enforcement, rationalization of the wood industry and DNA mapping, could provide an ideal framework in our effort to save the forest.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders and/or Environment and Livelihood Foundation Facebook Pages or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

The Significance of Total Logging Bans

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF TOTAL LOGGING BANS

By Anton Antonio

February 19, 2016

Total logging bans are often used by governments all over the world to curb, check and restrain illegal logging activities and to better manage and preserve their forest cover and the ecology of the landscape.  There is, of course, a certain degree of uneasiness on whether this is the right thing to do.  The question still persists whether or not other initiatives available to total logging bans.  It becomes critical, therefore, that total logging bans are studied too.

The forest in the Philippines is very rich in biodiversity.  The numerous flora and fauna that could be found in tropical rainforests is due to the constant high temperature and humidity which characterize our normal weather condition.  It is unfortunate, however, that many forests are threatened due to deforestation… and deforestation is caused by irresponsible logging activities.  It is important to mention, at this point that logging in the Philippines is perceived as an “illegal” activity and anyone who is involved in the wood industry is an “illegal logger”.

Forestland largely form a sizeable part of landscape ecology.  Deforestation is the single, most negative, factor that affects landscape ecology.  A total logging ban, therefore, is also a big influencing factor in the ecology of the landscape.  Preserving our last remaining forest cover is imperative to ensure quality life on our planet for the next generations.

The purpose and objective, therefore, of a study on the significance of total logging bans (as the primary government initiative) should focus on and detail the following background, issues and concerns:

1.    Give a brief history on logging in the Philippines so we could better understand the development of the wood industry to its present status;

2.    Look into the socio-economic importance of logging so we could gain better insights to the realities of logging as a basic means of livelihood and how it affects people as social units;

3.    Answer the question “Is total logging ban possible?” so we could explore the sustainability of a long-term logging ban;

4.    Make a general distinction between legal and illegal logging activities so we could separate the myth from reality;

5.    Determine the effects of total logging ban in the forest cover and ecology of the landscape so we could make baseline assumptions on the relationship between logging activities and biodiversity;

6.    Find ways and means to mitigate the effects of total logging bans as the best way to go but making certain that the necessary safety nets are provided to stakeholders in the wood and timber industry;

7.    Come up with a synthesis or an alternative approach in balancing the need for wood and the ecology so we can also consider other ways and means to a total logging ban; and,

8.    Provide a new framework on the effects of total logging ban in the ecology of the landscape.

Reforestation should be an integral part of timber utilization.  Trees also have a lifespan and when trees die, the unutilized wood will decompose and return to the atmosphere in the form of carbon.  Carbon sequestration or biological sequestration can only happen when trees are felled in their maturity.  Premature harvesting of trees without the corresponding replenishment, through reforestation, is the single-biggest cause of forest cover loss.  But is the declaration of total logging bans the only alternative?  Or are there other options?  I firmly believe there are.  And, if there are, what then is the significance of total logging bans?

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/) 

Total Log Ban

TOTAL LOG BAN

By Anton Antonio

February 18, 2016

In my never-ending research for subject matters to blog about, I chanced upon this poster that says: “total log ban”.  (Please see accompanying image.)  How many times have you read this statement “total log ban”?  You’ve probably read it from newspapers describing a declaration or imposition by government.  Or a pro-environment advocacy group lobbying for it or evangelizing about it… a “total log ban”.  Sadly, however, the statement is simply wrong!

Let’s define the statement, “total log ban”, word for word.  The word “total” means complete, absolute or comprising the whole number, amount or volume of a given unit.   A “log” is a part of the trunk or a large branch of a tree that has fallen or has been cut off.  Please note that the growth of a tree is a natural process and phenomenon.  The word “ban” means officially or legally prohibited.  So, therefore, putting these definitions together, how can something that is a natural product like a tree (specifically the trunk and branch) be officially and legally prohibited (banned) from growing?  This just doesn’t make sense... or downright stupid!

What would make better sense is tweaking this statement (therefore, “total log ban”) to “total logging ban”.  In this case what we are officially and legally prohibiting or banning is the act of logging.  Logging is defined as the activity or business of felling trees and cutting and preparing the timber for utilization and conversion to other wood products.  In this application “logging”, as an activity, can be banned officially and legally by an authority.

The use of “log” over “logging” may seem like ordinary and insignificant semantics (meaning: the branch of linguistics and logic concerned with meaning) but wouldn’t it be ideal to use correct words to describe specific issues and concerns?  Let’s do everyone a favour, it would not be rude to gently correct others when they use the statement “total log ban”.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

Deforestation

DEFORESTATION

By Anton Antonio

February 16, 2016

A common coffee table topic when people exchange views on the environment is deforestation.  But what exactly is deforestation?  Deforestation is the clearing of trees that eventually transform a forest into a cleared land.  Here is a researched material on deforestation… “Deforestation, clearance or clearing is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a non-forest use.  Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use.  Tropical rainforests is where the common concentrated deforestation occurs.  Almost 30% of the world is converted by forests, excluding water mass.  In temperate mesic climates, natural regeneration of forest stands often will not occur in the absence of disturbance, whether natural or anthropogenic.  Furthermore, biodiversity after regeneration harvest often mimics that found after natural disturbance, including biodiversity loss after naturally occurring rainforest destruction.  Deforestation occurs for many reasons: trees are cut down to be used or sold as fuel (sometimes in form of charcoal) or timber, while cleared land is used as pasture for livestock, plantations of commodities and settlements.  The removal of trees without sufficient reforestation has resulted in damage to habitat, biodiversity loss and aridity.  It has adverse impacts on biosequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide.  Deforestation has also been used in war to deprive the enemy of cover for its forces and also vital resources.  Modern examples of this were the use of Agent Orange by the British military in Malaya during the Malayan emergency and the United States military in Vietnam during the Vietnam War.  As of 2005, net deforestation rates have ceased to increase in countries with a per capita GDP of at least US$4,600.  Deforested regions typically incur significant adverse soil erosion and frequently degrade into wasteland.  Disregard of ascribed value, lax forest management and deficient environmental laws, are some of the factors that allow deforestation to occur on a large scale.  In many countries, deforestation, both naturally occurring and human induced, is an ongoing issue.  Deforestation causes extinction, changes to climatic conditions, desertification, and displacement of populations as observed by current conditions and in the past through the fossil record.  More than half of all plant and land animals species in the world live in tropical forests.  Between 2000 and 2013, 2.3 million square kilometers of forests around the world were cut down.  As a result of deforestation, only 6.2 million square kilometers remain of the original 16 million square kilometers of forest that formerly covered the earth.” (Wikipedia)

There are several (even confusing) data and statistics on the annual rate of deforestation from various sources.  More than establishing the deforestation rate, it is more important to acknowledge that deforestation happens every year.  And above all is the further importance of curbing, for the sake of future generations, deforestation.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

REFERENCE:

Wikipedia, (2016).  “Deforestation”.  Retrieved on February 16, 2016 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deforestation

International Tropical Timber Agreement

INTERNATIONAL TROPICAL TIMBER AGREEMENT

By Anton Antonio

February 16, 2016

The single-biggest cause for the depletion of the world’s forest cover is the illegal harvesting and trade of timber products.  This is not only a domestic problem of individual countries but a worldwide problem.  The European Union and the United States, in an effort to eradicate the international trade of illegally harvested forest products, have started to be strict in importing wood --- especially tropical hardwood --- without due certification from their true origin.

“The International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA, 2006) is to “promote the expansion and diversification of international trade in tropical timber from sustainably manages and legally harvested forests and to promote the sustainable management of tropical timber producing forests”.  It entered into force on 7 December 2011 and replaces the International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1994.  As of late July 2015, there are 71 parties to the agreement.  Madagascar, Nigeria, and Paraguay have signed the agreement but have not ratified it.  Canada ratified the agreement in 2009 but has since denounced it.” (Wikipedia)

The ITTA, however, could only be effective if the governments (particularly the ministries and departments in charge of protecting forest resources) of individual countries do not connive (meaning: secretly allow something considered immoral, illegal, wrong and harmful to occur) with illegal loggers and traders.  Otherwise, this international accord will be useless; the International Tropical Timber Agreement.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

REFERENCE:

Wikipedia, (2016).  “International Tropical Timber Agreement, 2006”.  Retrieved on February 16, 2016 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Tropical_Timber_Agreement,_2006

MARPOL 73/78

MARPOL 73/78

By Anton Antonio

February 15, 2016

It is common knowledge that approximately 71% of the earth’s surface is covered by water and the oceans and seas hold about 96.5% of all earth’s water.  These staggering data on the volume of water around us makes dumping of waste in water bodies, which will subsequently result to marine pollution, is a very critical issue and concern.  Towards the end and purpose of protecting our oceans and seas, the MARPOL 73/78 was conceived.

Here is a researched material on MARPOL…  “MARPOL 73/78 is the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 as modified by the Protocol of 1978.  (“MARPOL” is the short term for marine pollution and 73/78 is short for the years 1973 and 1978.)  MARPOL 73/78 is one of the most important international marine environmental conventions.  It was developed by the International Maritime Organization is an effort to minimize pollution of the oceans and seas, including dumping, oil and sir pollution.  The objective of this convention is to preserve the marine environment in an attempt to completely eliminate pollution by oil and other harmful substances and to minimize accidental spillage of such substances.  The original MARPOL was signed on 17 February 1973, but did not come into force at the signing date.  The current convention is a combination of the 1973 Convention and the 1978 Protocol.  It entered into force on 2 October 1983.  As of 2015, 152 states, representing 99.2 percent of the world’s shipping tonnage, are state parties to the convention.  All ships flagged under countries that are signatories to MARPOL are subject to its requirements, regardless of where they sail and member nations are responsible for vessels registered under their respective nationalities.”  (Wikipedia)

The MARPOL Conventions are quite hard to implement considering the vastness of our oceans and seas.  There are just too many ships out there that makes monitoring very daunting.  The success of the MARPOL Conventions will depend largely on the degree of commitment from individual countries who are participating in this initiative.  We could only wish and pray for the success of MARPOL 73/78.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

REFERENCE:

Wikipedia, (2016).  “MARPOL 73/78”.  Retrieved on February 15, 2016 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MARPOL_73/78

Saint Valentine and Valentine's Day

SAINT VALENTINE AND VALENTINE’S DAY

By Anton Antonio

February 14, 2016

Aside from birthdays and Christmas, the other more anticipated event in everyone’s life is Valentine’s Day.  But what exactly is Valentine’s Day?  Why is Valentine associated with falling in love romantically?

Here are researched materials on Valentine’s Day and Saint Valentine…

“Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is an annual holiday celebrated on February 14.  It originated as a Western Christian liturgical feast day honouring one or more early saints named Valentinus and is recognized as a significant cultural and commercial celebration in many regions around the world, although it is not a public holiday in any country.  Several martyrdom stories associated with various Valentines that were connected to February 14 were added to later martyrologies, including a popular hagiographical account of Saint Valentine of Rome which indicated he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire.  According to legend, during his imprisonment, Saint Valentine healed the daughter of his jailer, Asterius, and before his execution, he wrote her a letter signed “Your Valentine” as a farewell.  The day first became associated with romantic love within the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14^th century, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.  In 18^th-century England, it evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as “valentines”).  In Europe, Saint Valentine’s Keys are given to lovers “as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver’s heart”, as well as to children, in order to ward off epilepsy (called Saint Valentine’s Malady).  Valentine’s Day symbols that are used today include heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid.  Since the 19^th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.  Saint Valentine’s Day is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion, as well as the Lutheran Cgurch.  Many parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrate Saint Valentine’s Day, albeit on July 6 and July 30, the former date in honor of the Roman presbyter Saint Valentine, and the latter date in honor of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna (modern Terni).”  (Wikipedia)

“Saint Valentine, officially Saint Valentine of Rome, is a widely recognized third-century Roman saint commemorated on February 14 and associated since the High Middle Ages with a tradition of courtly love.  All that is reliably known of the saint commemorated on February 14 is his name and that he was martyred and buried at a cemetery on the Via Flaminia close to the Milvian bridge to the north of Rome on that day.  It is uncertain whether St. Valentine is to be indentified as one saint or the conflation of two saints of the same name.  Several different martyrologies have been added to later hagiographies that are unreliable.  Because so little is known to him, in 1969 the Roman Catholic Church removed his name from the General Roman Calendar, leaving his liturgical celebration to local calendars.  The Roman Catholic Church continues to recognize him as a saint, listing him as such in the February 14 entry in the Roman Martyrology and authorizing liturgical veneration of him on February 14 in any place where that day is not devoted to some other obligatory celebration in accordance with the rule that on such a day the Mass may be that of any saint listed in the Martyrology for that day.  Use of the pre-1970 liturgical calendar is also authorized under the conditions indicated in the motu propio Summorum Pontificum of 2007.  Saint Valentine’s Church in Rome, built in 1960 for the needs of the Olympic Village, continues as a modern, well-visited parish church.” (Wikipedia)

One thing for certain in life, aside from death, is falling in love.  And an integral part of falling in love is Saint Valentine and Valentine’s Day.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

REFERENCE:

Wikipedia, (2016).  “Valentine’s Day”.  Retrieved on February 14, 2016 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Day

Wikipedia, (2016).  “Saint Valentine”.  Retrieved on February 14, 2016 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Valentine