The continuous deforestation in the country could result in the emergence of new infectious diseases, according to studies by the United Nations and non-government organizations.
The World Wide Fund for Nature-Philippines (WWF-Philippines) noted that changes in land and forest cover can cause emergence of infectious disease in tropical countries, according to a report.
“The Philippines has one of the fastest deforestation rates in the world, and yet our forests house two thirds of the planet’s biodiversity, which supports a wide spectrum of flora and fauna. If we continue to allow our forests to be denuded, we will lose our forests in the next two decades and we open ourselves up to risks of emerging diseases,†WWF-Philippines president and CEO Joel Palma said.
Around 47,000 hectares of forest cover is lost each year due to rampant illegal logging activities, including lack of security in protected areas, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) data.
WWF-Philippines said this does not only affect wildlife in those areas, but also affects the quality of air humans inhale. It also lessens the protection from natural disasters, and dampens the natural prevention of emerging diseases.
Palma explained that the Philippines could have prevented this from happening, if it had stricter implementations of laws and programs to further nourish the forests.
“The time to act now has already passed. We should have acted yesterday to prevent further damage in the future. But this reality is a reminder for us that the severity of this situation calls for collaborative action–everyone must participate to win this war against deforestation,†Palma said.
Meanwhile, WWWF-Philippines, Biodiversity Finance Initiative of the United Nations Development Programme and the DENR entered a partnership with GCash, which aims to reduce carbon footprints by encouraging customers to pay bills online. Hence, removing the need to drive to a bank and consume paper for receipts and forms.
“The program calls for the participation of individuals to join hands with us as we rehabilitate the watersheds. We have seen an encouraging number of people willingly volunteering with us as we move on with this project,†Palma said.
