Palaweños learn enterprising way to conserve forest

Protecting a forest from would-be poachers and illegal loggers is one formidable task. Managing it and making it productive for the community without creating ecological imbalance is even a tougher one to undertake especially for simple farmers and fisherfolks who have neither the managerial nor entrepreneurial skills.

Known as the country’s last ecological frontier, Palawan is governed by RA 7160 or the Strategic Environment Plan for Palawan whose philosophy of sustainable development, in realistic terms, refers to the safeguarding of the environment and the prohibition of illegal logging and illegal fishing, among others. Since SEP was enacted into law in 1992, a logging ban has been imposed to preserve the virgin forest.

Despite SEP, however, illegal loggers and fishers, mostly migrants and intruders from other provinces lured by the quick buck have proved difficult to keep at bay. Still, because of SEP, Palaweños are walking in the extra mile and more in order to protect their natural resources.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has set up the community-based forest management program to enlist the help of the community in forest protection and to ease upland poverty without prejudice to forest resources. Recipient and first beneficiary of the program in Palawan is the San Rafael, Tanabug, Concepcion Multi-purpose Cooperative, which was awarded 400 hectares of forest land spanning the three aforesaid barangays north of Puerto Princesa City.

With the CBFM, the cooperative acts as manager of the forest area entrusted to it. But not without help. Several non-government organizations have provided assistance to the cooperative among them. According to Melquiades Rodriguez, also known as Kapitan Cading, former Barangay chairman of San Rafael and coop chairman, the Ulugan Bay Foundation and the Development Associates International, both under the Natural Resources Management Program (NRMP). Under the NRMP, they got development funding for the area amounting to P4.8 million. "It has given us a sense of proprietorship since we have put a lot of effort into the area," Kap says proudly.

But they also soon realized that a major problem of the cooperative was entrepreneurship: It simply lacked people with expertise to make a go of it. Most of the members were not really businessmen in the strict sense, says Kap, "because all they had were small sari-sari stores."

Two years ago, Kap’s organization received technical assistance from the Enterprise Works Worldwide (EWW) to go into a timber processing and lumber enterprise. "We realized that we had 160,000 board feet of timber from felled trees in the forest but we didn’t know what to do with them, much less how to convert them into a productive sustainable enterprise," Kap points out. "EWW assisted us in planning operations and developing systems and orienting participating workers and so forth. In other words, EWW was there when we needed them."

EWW helped them secure a guaranteed loan of P400,000 from the Land Bank of the Philippines, which was used to harvest more than 100,000 board feet of fallen timber. "The co-op was able to realize sales of more than P800,000 and still have inventory for use. Without EWW we would be totally lost," Kap said.

Doodee Devanadera of EWW Palawan believes that the success of the co-op enterprise is the result of the members’ hard work, unity and willingness to learn. "Enterprise development has made the CBFM economically rewarding to the beneficiaries," she says.

"Today we can look to the minor forest products, for example, as a source of additional income," Kap says. "At the same time, we can protect and conserve the area for the next generation. At the very least, it will be there for them to appreciate, if not utilize." And how does he look at the future? "Change will come to the community sooner or later, and I hope the forests remain largely as they are today," he muses.

Kap Cading realizes that the assistance will end and before it does, they must have the capability and wherewithal to self-perpetuate CBFM. "We must be capable of deriving economic benefits from the project and from these benefits we must also replenish and regenerate the resources," he explains. "It will thus create a cycle, a never-ending process of planting and harvesting with benefits derived each step of the way."

He adds: "We have been talking of people empowerment for a long time. The environment is one practical area where the people can have meaningful participation. The power to manage forests and determine what benefits and how much can be derived from them, while keeping an eye on their continuity, should be given to the people."

EWW, a non-government organization, subscribes to the interdependence of three pillars of economic growth, people, resource, enterprise. "It’s much like a triangle," explains Frank Tolentino, EWW Philippine program manager. "You cannot change one side or one angle without affecting the other two." Aside from Palawan, the organization has other project areas in the country, namely Sanchez Mira and Gonzaga in Cagayan, and Vibanara in Ilagan, Isabela. It is also present in other countries where forest denudation is considered critical.

EWW does not advocate the "no-touch" policy as far as forest conservation is concerned. Examples exist where forests completely banned to people’s access have been exploited anyway, often indiscriminately, with the restriction even adding impetus to violate them. On the other hand, forests that have been effectively managed such as Europe and continental United States, have remained so for decades, if not centuries, while continuously granting benefits to the people.

The Palawan experience is an example of how enterprise works for the people. It also shows that people power indeed can be effective not only in EDSA but also in small communities and their forests.