DENR: Forested lands down to 7 million hectares

MANILA, Philippines — Of the country’s 15 million hectares of forest lands, only seven million have forest cover, Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga said yesterday.

Because of this, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is implementing efforts to increase the number to at least 10 million hectares, she said.

“Efforts are being made to manage these areas under the National Greening Program. We have 30 million hectares of land in the country and 15 million of these are classified as forest lands,” Loyzaga said.

“Last year, we started mapping out the first 1.2 million hectares, which will be opened to different people’s organizations to help us reforest these areas. We hope to target an additional three million hectares for reforestation by 2028,” she added.

Loyzaga noted that the world is facing a triple planetary crisis: climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

“Our lands, forests, fisheries and aquatic resources are affected. Of course, the water quality and water security, too. So, all of these, including the rapid growth of our cities, have a positive impact on our economy but pose a threat to the environment,” she said.

According to Loyzaga, the DENR has established a database from satellite imagery, increased its monitoring and implemented efforts to help communities affected by climate change.