A couple of years ago, the Philippine Congress released a study that said about 123,000 hectares of the country’s forest cover are lost every year. Unless reforestation is started, the study further stated, there would be no forest left in the country by 2036 – that’s exactly 23 years from now.
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Mangrove Forest Deforestation in the Philippines
Many think deforestation happens only in the uplands as cutting the trees means loss of lives and livelihoods as the raging waters from the higher areas bring floods and landslides.
Unknowingly, deforestation continues unabated, too, in the lowlands – particularly those near the seashores and rivers. Mangroves, which most people consider as unimportant, are fast disappearing.