RAINFORESTATION PARADIGM SHIFT IN FOREST Restoration IN THE PHILIPPINES PACIENCIA P. MILAN, PhD © 2020 by Paciencia P. Milan, PhD and Forest Foundation Philippines Printed in the Philippines. All rights reserved. The views expressed in this book are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of any individual or organization. Please address all inquiries to: Paciencia P. Milan, PhD Visayas State University, Baybay City, Leyte Phone: (+653) 8563-1339 Email: [email protected] Forest Foundation Philippines 2F Valderrama Building, 107 Esteban Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines 1229 Phone: (+632) 8891-0595; (+632) 8864-0287 Email: [email protected] PDF: ISBN 978-971-95904-4-6 Print (Softbound): ISBN 978-971-95904-3-9 This material is under the Creative Commons Attribution License. Anyone can use, reuse, distribute, and build upon this material as long as proper attribution is made. Suggested citation: Milan, P. P. 2020. Rainforestation: Paradigm Shift in Forest Restoration in the Philippines. Makati, Philippines: Forest Foundation Philippines. Editorial Team: Dr. Rowena R. Boquiren Dr. Edwino Fernando Ms. Ester Batangan Mr. Vincent Aranas Ms. Diane Bagui Ms. Schenley Anne Belmonte Mr. Bryan Joel Mariano Mr. Eric Buduan Mr. Cherylon Herzano Table of Contents Acknowledgments 5 Foreword 7 Preface 9 Message 11 List of Abbreviations 13 List of Tables, Figures, and Boxes 16 Chapter 1: Introduction 20 M A needed paradigm shift in forestry M Financial assistance from foreign sources and its sustainability M Current state of the Philippine forest Chapter 2: The Imperative: Bringing Back Native Tree Species 40 M Rainforestation farming and biodiversity conservation strategy M An appeal to bring back Philippine native tree species Chapter 3: The Start of Rainforestation Farming 50 M Humble beginning M History of rainforestation farming at the University M Sustainable development vis-à-vis rainforestation M Shift from old to new paradigm in forest restoration M Roadblocks to promoting rainforestation farming Chapter 4: RF Adoptors in Different Management Typologies M Family-based approach as core mode of community participation M Social mobilization in protected area multiple use zones M Rainforestation and watershed rehabilitation M Rainforestation in ancestral domains M Rainforestation and conservation trade-offs M Rainforestation in a privately owned tree farm Chapter 5: In the Company of Conservation Advocates 128 M Local collaborators M International dimension in rainforestation farming M Rainforestation champions Chapter 6: Postscript: Where Are We At Now? 150 M Challenges and opportunities M Recommendations Annexes ANNEX 1: List of Trees and Plants used in RF or has potential 168 for use in RF ANNEX 2: Guidelines to establish rainforestation farming areas 176 ANNEX 3: RF guides produced 190 References 193 Acknowledgment My deepest gratitude goes to the adopters of rainforestation farming (RF) who shared their experiences that shaped the case studies in this book. Their stories continue to serve as our inspiration to expand our advocacy. I also thank Elisea (Bebet) Gozun, former Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and former Trustee of Forest Foundation Philippines, for her contributions in understanding the policy gaps in the forestry and agricultural sectors in the coun- try and for giving the official government approval for rainforestation through the issuance of Memorandum Circular 2004-06. My heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Friedhelm Goeltenboth for sharing his knowledge on the international dimensions that support the expan- sion of RF even beyond the Southeast Asian region and to Cherylon ‘Aivan’ Herzano for his contributions on the conservation trade-off model in a watershed protected area in Negros Occidental. My appreciation also goes to the Foundation for the Philippine Envi- ronment (FPE), Forest Foundation Philippines, formerly known as the Philippine Tropical Forest Conservation Foundation (PTFCF), and the Rain Forest Restoration Initiative (RFRI) for sharing valuable data and information crucial to the collection of stories for this book. There are a number of individuals who have contributed not only in the promotion of RF but also in enriching its technology: Antonio Fer- nandez, our passionate para-taxonomist and companion in the field; the late Marcelo Fernandez, who shared his insights about the life of a kaingero; Macario Romano, one of our ardent supporters; Ma. Juliet Ceniza and Marlito Bande, who continuously spread the seed of RF in different parts of the Philippines; and the nursery staff of the Institute of Tropical Ecology and Environmental Management (ITEEM). I wish to express my gratitude to Dr. Warner Koch for helping us fine-tune some theories on agro-ecology and to Dr. Claus-Peter Hutter for supporting the implementation of RF by linking us with friends, donors, and funders in Germany, who believe that it is a sustainable farming system. 5 It was at first a dream to write a book despite several constraints in logistics and family concerns. The dream took shape through the encouragement of and inspiration from Atty. Jose Andres Canivel, Executive Director of the Forest Foundation, and the financial support of the Foundation. I would do injustice not to mention Dr. Josef Margraf who impressed in me the beauty of Philippine native tree species as we were develop- ing the concept of Rainforestation. Finally, I am deeply grateful to the following individuals who carried out their tasks to make this book a reality: Dr. Rowena R. Boquiren for editing the book; Ester Batangan for coordinating the data gathering and initial research write up; Joan Hope Tolibas, our research assistant; Elvira Gorre, Rolito Dumalag, Misael Cerna, and Alexandra Paredes, our book artists; and Ivan Pedericos and Dinah Balbuena, our encoders. Paciencia P. Milan, PhD 6 Foreword Over the last 40 years, the decline and degradation of Philippine forests have reached critical proportions. Illegal and unsustainable logging practices and mining, as well as indiscriminate land use, have significantly depleted forest cover, and not without its dire conse- quences—the loss of wildlife habitat causing tremendous rise in cases of threatened and endangered species of flora and fauna; water inse- curity because of degraded watersheds; and loss of topsoil due to soil erosion that depletes nutrients for crops and causes perennial flood- ing and induced landslides. Laws were passed, policies were drawn, and new reforestation projects were conducted. A nationwide advocacy on planting trees and con- serving what is left of our forests grew. Although forest conservation and reforestation projects have been undertaken, they could not over- take the rate of deforestation and its effect on the environment. One question remained: have we been planting the right trees? A promising answer came to light in the 1990s when then Visayas State College of Agriculture—now Visayas State University (VSU)—which was headed by Dr. Milan, partnered with the German Technical Coop- eration Agency (GTZ) and developed an agroforestry system called “rainforestation farming” or RF. It is a technology that uses native tree species to rehabilitate degraded landscapes, thereby restoring key ecosystem services. Under the partnership between Dr. Josef Margraf and Dr. Milan, RF has become a better option for forest restoration. Former reforestation efforts were aimed at enhancing timber produc- tivity and less on restoring original ecosystems and biodiversity; thus, exotic species such as the fast-growing gmelina and mahogany trees were commonly used. In contrast, the RF system promotes the use of native tree species, which are mostly dipterocarps (e.g., lauan, apitong, guijo, tanguile, and yakal, among other species) that thrive in tropical rain forests across the Philippines. Native trees, unlike exotic species, have been proven to enrich timber production and agro-ecosystems, as well as to restore and protect var- ious forest ecosystems. 7 The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) was convinced of the efficacy and sustainability of the RF technology. The concept was adopted in 2004 through DENR Memorandum Circular No. 2004-06, integrating the RF strategy in the development of open and denuded areas within protected areas and other appropriate forest lands. As part of the Biodiversity Management Bureau’s (DENR-BMB) man- date on biodiversity conservation, we strongly support the advocacy of Dr. Milan and VSU in promoting RF, especially in protected areas nationwide, and in developing policies that would expand the use of native species from community-based RF initiatives to a larger scope of ecosystem development. I see this book, “Rainforestation: Paradigm Shift in Forest Restoration in the Philippines,” as a catalyst for change in forest rehabilitation systems, assuring the restoration of our forests’ ecological integrity and biodiversity, and providing economic benefits for the nation and our people. Theresa Mundita S. Lim, DVM Former Director, DENR-BMB Executive Director, ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity 8 Preface It started in 1992 with a small demonstration plot in a Forest Research Institute site to germinate a farming technology for forest restoration. What was initially conceived as an evidence-seeking research, the 2.8-hectare (ha) laboratory plot within the campus has become a learn- ing site. According to ecologist Dr. Josef Margraf: “Only if we restore the physical