DENR to cancel 300 forest management contracts

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is set to cancel more than 300 Industrial Forest Management Agreements (IFMAs) because their holders are not adhering to responsible timber management.

DENR Secretary Michael T. Defensor disclosed that over the past 11 months, series of evaluation had been conducted on forestry instrument holders such as Timber License Agreements (TLA), Industrial Forest Management Agreements (IFMA), Community-Based Forest Management Agreements (CBFMA) and socialized IFMAs.  Of these, more than 300 have been slated for cancellation.
“The trimming down of holders of IFMAs coincides with the department’s move to limit logging activities and preserve the country’s remaining forest covers”, Defensor said.

According to the environment group, the country has lost 14 million hectares of forest since the turn of the century and if logging activities and deforestation is unabated, the Philippines would only have 310,000 hectares of primary forest left by 2010.

The group administers the debt-for-forest swap fund that would put up Php 453 –Million in reforestation fund, nearly nine times bigger than the Php56-Million allocation of the environment department for its reforestation program.  But according to Defensor, the DENR is not resting on its task to rehabilitate the country’s forests.

“A total of 15,670 hectares have been planted with trees as of end of July this year despite limited resources,” he said, adding that more budget and resources are coming for the coming years and upon the instruction of the  President.

In relation to this, DENR 6 Regional Executive Director Celso V. Loriega, Jr. reports that as of June this year, here in the region, there are 12,555.70 hectares of existing forest plantation projects broken down as follows: 14 SIFMAs awarded in the provinces of Iloilo and Negros Occidental with a total area of 2,164.30; 2 IFMAs awarded to Iloilo Washington Commercial in Iloilo and Mosser Environment Corporation in Negros Occidental with a total area of 9,463.87 hectares; 5 Tree Farm Lease Agreements with a total area of 343.92 hectares also in the provinces of Iloilo and Negros Occidental and an Industrial Tree Plantation awarded to SONAFIDO in Himamaylan, Negros Occidental with an area of 263 hectares.
RED Loriega also disclosed that awarding of forest management tenurial instruments is meanwhile put on hold by the department pending result of their evaluation and assessment of existing forest management areas.  He is likewise confident that all forest management lease holders faired above the standard set for them to develop and protect their areas. 

RED Loriega also appealed to the public to be supportive on the programs and projects of the DENR and be more vigilant against forest perpetrators and report this immediately directly to his office or through the DENR field offices. He assured that he would not allow any stone unturned until these forest detractors would be persecuted and proper justice is served.