ANR was one of the technologies promoted by a World Bank-funded project back in the late 80s and early 90s called Central Visayas Regional Projects (CVRP). the pilot area was located in a forested area in the upland barangay of Ayungon, Negros Oriental. since then, there had been a lot of initiatives to improve forest cover through either ANR or conventional means but practically all reforestation projects have been dismal failures. this is because people behind these initiatives lack the understanding of the basic issues behind forest degradation. sad to say, these people including those in the DENR continue to face the same issues using the same strategy. as if the have not really learned anything from past failures.
the truth of the matter is that people need trees for: (1) construction materials with which to build houses; (2) firewood; (3) furnitures. these are the main reasons why people cut down trees. however, it became a problem when prople cut trees much faster than trees are able to regenerate by itself. as a result, denudation of vegetation brings about man-made environmental disasters such as mudslides, flashfloods, etc.
to address the above concerns, reforestation efforts should be focused to address the factors that cause people to cut down trees. this will mean that doing the following:
(1) reforestation will have to be made in watersheds to avoid environmenta disasters such as flashfloods and mudslides, and at the same time water is given the chance to seep into the ground to improve supply of ground water. trees to be planted in the watersheds should be those that are in the endangered species list whose cutting is prohibited and carries a heavy penalty for violation. this is to ensure people are discouraged to cut trees in watershed areas;
(2) commercial tree plantations must be established so that demand for construction materials and fuel wood can be met using timber sustainably harvested from these areas. these plantations should be set up in public land that are not part of a watershed system so that harvesting does not affect the flow of water from the upland areas.
(3) agroforestation should be encouraged among upland farmers to expand forest cover even in agricultural areas and at the same time provide fuel wood and fruits from trees that bring in additional cash for farmers
(4) river systems whose banks have been eroded should be rehabilitated by planting trees that have a deep-penetrating root system to hold the soil. a good example is bamboo. it hold the soil thereby preventing erosion and at the same time, bamboo provides additional source of construction and furniture materials.
the main point here is that reforestation efforts should be anchored on the reality that people need trees for construction materials, fuel and furnitures, and that these needs will have to be addressed as well to achieve a certain level of success.
this is not to say that ANR is useless as a technology. it's just that it does not directly and effectively address the real issues surrounding forest denudation.
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