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Home , Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Caraga, Dinagat Island, Nasipit, Surigao del Norte

Nature Exploitation and Protection in 95 Saving Biodiversity

By Bona Abigail Hilario*

CCORDING to a report in a national newspaper, these, 60 percent are endemic or common to the Athe is 10 times richer in biodiversity region and account for 29 percent of the Philippines’ than the Galapagos Island in Ecuador where Sir endemics. Bird diversity is equally impressive: 178 Charles Darwin studied his Theory of Evolution. species, accounting for 67 percent of resident The Philippines is probably the most biologi- breeding birds in the Mindanao Biogeographic cally diverse country in the world because each of Region. The 37 mammal species represents 42 the 7,107 islands is home to a unique community of percent of the native mammals in the biogeographic species of terrestrial (land) and marine plants and region. Species diversity is also high for amphibians animals. Even the small islands support greater (26) and reptiles (62). The region has 16 amphibian biodiversity than the biologically richest countries of species endemic to the Philippines (42 percent), the world. Biodiversity simply means the diversity of life or the variety or assortment of living plants and animals in a certain region. That’s the good news. The bad news, however, is that Philippine biodiversity is under constant threat. There is nothing new about it since all its resources are threatened constantly. Still, this is cause for clearer and prompt action. The acceler- ating loss of biological diversity is probably the most serious environmental threat facing the planet right now, and the Philippines is one of the “hot spots”. several of which are confined to Mindanao and 36 endemic reptiles (53 percent). It is home to 85 bird The Region species, 81 percent of all Philippine endemics By itself, CARAGA or Region 13 ( del recorded in the Mindanao Biogeographic Region. It Norte, , del Norte and has 25 endemic mammal species (57 percent), ) has a rich ecosystem and hosts a including two species found only on . unique community of plant and animal species. Still, the region is also not spared from Agusan Marsh has been declared a Wildlife Sanctu- ecological or biodiversity threats. Sooner or later, all ary and one of the 10 priority protected areas in the these species will diminish, be endangered and Integrated Protected Areas System. Island, worst, become extinct. Bocas Grande and other smaller adjacent islands In terms of conservation status in the region, and islets were declared as a unit having a Pro- at least 22 mammal species are threatened, tected Landscape and Seascape status. Siargao including the , Philippine Cockatoo, Island is home to the second-largest the Golden-crowned flying fox, and the Philippine forest in Mindanao (86 square kilometers) and the crocodile. At least 31 floral species are threatened. largest contiguous stand of in the The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund country (40 square kilometers). (CEPF) website put out the list of threats to biologi- CARAGA’s plant diversity accounts for some 31 cal diversity. Deeper analyses shown that these percent of the Philippines’ total plant species. Of causes are rooted in conflicting government policies

* Bona Abigail Hilario is a staffwriter of SUSDEV, a publication of CONVERGENCE.

SOCIAL WATCH PHILIPPINES 96 Nature Exploitation and Protection in Mindanao

and weak institutional mechanisms, thus, the very logging concessions are in Surigao provinces, within low budgetary priority for nature and natural re- the Eastern Mindanao Corridor (EMC). One of these source conservation. The other causes include unfair has a concession area of 360,670 hectares with a access to resources, poor governance, lack of public registered annual production capacity of 3 million awareness and participation, lack of economic cubic meters. There are only two other TLAs incentives and poor use and allocation of resources. outside of Surigao provinces: one in Agusan del Sur (72,680 hectares) and one in Mining and quarrying (98,312 hectares). The most significant ecological threat in Commercial logging is accompanied by the Caraga Region is the increase of legal and illegal development of industrial tree and forest planta- mining operations. Gold, silver, nickel, copper, tions, such as oil palm and bamboo plantations. chromite, limestone and silica are mined throughout As of 1998, there were 38 such plantations in the the region. At present, there are 10 large mines corridor, occupying more than 300,000 hectares. and quarries operation in Surigao and Agusan del These plantations grow only one plant species Norte, Agusan del Sur and Compostela ( a part of each; e.g., falcata in Agusan del Norte and bamboo the Eastern Mindanao Corridor where Caraga or palm trees in Agusan del Sur. The DENR pro- belongs). This does not include the 74 other poses to establish a timber corridor in this section of nonmetallic mines and quarry operations and the Mindanao, to cover at least 100,000 hectares. number of applications for financial and technical These operations threaten biodiversity, as they assistance and exploration permit applications. replace and alter natural ecological processes and Some of the exploration permits cover declared create monocultures susceptible to pests and protected areas and watershed forest reserves disease. Endemic plant species in the corridor are within the corridor, where most ongoing conserva- especially at risk. tion efforts are concentrated. Illegal logging and kaingin in the uplands have In , industrial waste and also led to loss of forest cover and consequent soil mine tailings are being dumped indiscriminately erosion and rivers sedimentation. from open pits and tailing ponds of gold mining operations in Hinituan Passage. An open-pit Industrial development chromite mine in Claver also caused heavy siltation Development plans in the CARAGA Area Devel- of rivers. Because of indiscriminate dumping of opment Zone (ADZ) include economic centers that will mine waste, more than a thousand damage claims catalyze domestic and foreign investment in the were filed and processed by the DENR from 1990- region. The 10 economic centers planned in CARAGA, 1994. However, the DENR has issued only a few if set up, would constitute the highest concentration of minor citations against these operations. Local such facilities in the country. Two agro-industrial grassroots action suspended some mining in 2000. estates are already slated for development in the In Agusan del Norte, gold mining on commer- corridor: the Industrial Estate and the cial and small scales is prevalent in , Agro-Industrial Estate in Agusan del Norte. Santiago, Tubay, and . Mine tailings are Four large industrial establishments and two dumped in rivers such as the Kalinawan, draining medium-scale manufacturing establishments are into the Mindanao Sea and causing siltation of being considered as a foundation for the develop- coastal areas. Mining operations in San Roque, ment of heavy industry and manufacturing. How- , are also polluting the headwaters of the ever, agriculture and forestry remain the biggest Lambug River. Ongoing mineral extraction onvolves drivers of the economy and job growth. The region mostly small-scale operations, including 15 mining has oil palm plantations and processing facilities, permits as well as illegal miners in the gold rush accounting for most of the country’s production, area in East Morgado, Santiago. with the largest plantations in Agusan del Sur (up to 8,000 hectares). Agriculture, especially in the Logging and timber plantations Basin, and marine fishing grounds in CARAGA boasts of one of the largest remain- the west-central Pacific will be developed with the ing blocks of dipterocarp forest in the country. municipalities along the north coast of Mindanao. However, much of the remaining lowland diptero- Moreover, the Nasipit and Surigao ports are ex- carp forest is within logging concessions. pected to absorb the expansion of agricultural In fact, 75 percent of the country’s timber processing and light manufacturing from , comes from this area. The country’s two biggest - and .

SOCIAL WATCH PHILIPPINES Nature Exploitation and Protection in Mindanao 97

Land conversion whom to blame for the increasing destruction of our In Siargao Islands, two factors are causing the biodiversity, but what can be done to lessen the extensive conversion of mangroves: foreigners destruction. Development is most of the time buying land for beach resorts, the demand for equated with destruction, but all the time, develop- firewood— one of the main sources of livelihood on ment must also be accompanied with this little thing the island. Fuelwood is taken to as far as to called conscience–conscience coupled with respon- supply bakeries. Artificial fishponds are installed sibility. near mangrove areas; reportedly, 576 hectares No matter which factor is involved, humankind have been converted in Siargao and no less is really the biggest threat to biodiversity. (Management Plan of the Siargao Wildlife Sanctu- Even humankind knows that its very survival as a ary). species depends upon the preservation of the Indiscriminate cutting of mangroves for diversity of life. The health of the entire planet firewood and clearing for fishponds and prawn depends on keeping the balance among all the farms is also prevalent in Cabadbaran, Tubay and living species on earth, no matter how horrible, Magallanes in Agusan del Norte. Land conversion small, or dangerous to humans they may be. Every from forest to farmland and residential and indus- species has its place in the web of life, and the trial settlements, or from agricultural to residential earth needs each and every species to keep the use, is also widespread throughout the corridor. balance going. Save the earth. Save the trees. Save the Population pressure seas. Save “something” initiatives are everywhere. Surigao del Sur accounts for the fastest Is it time to pause and reflect, listen to the con- growth rate in the region because of groups of science and recall responsibilities— not just to the people from (Ilocanos) and Cebu government and to fellow human beings but also to (Cebuanos) migrating into the area. The indig- Mother Earth? Whether one believes in the Theory enous population, including the Manobos, of Evolution or in the Divine Theory of Creation, or Higaonons, Mamanwas, Mandayas and Talaandigs whether one believes that peace talks would still of the corridor forests, are being integrated into succeed, maybe it is time to think of small things the mainstream of lowland culture, losing much of that can be done to save biodiversity. After all, their indigenous knowledge and ecologically sound saving biodiversity— the plants’ and animals’ lives – practices. Some of these indigenous peoples are means saving mankind. adopting destructive lowland farming techniques in Source: Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF). A joint initiative the uplands and some of them are involved in of Conservation International, the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur illegal logging. Foundation and the World Bank. CEPF provides strategic assistance to Controversial issues on mining and logging are nongovernmental organizations, community groups and other civil society partners to help safeguard Earth’s biodiversity hotspots. A coming out from everywhere, currently dominating fundamental goal is to ensure civil society is engaged in biodiversity national media. But then again, the issue is not conservation. http://www.cepf.net/xp/cepf/about_cepf/index.xml

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