On the sustainability of the uplands in supporting the growing population

Teodorico M. Collano, Jr.

ENRM 231
 The uplands, fundamentally defined as all land areas with a slope of 18°, cannot
really support the growing population of the Philippines if all present conditions prevail.
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica (2020), the Philippines has a total land area of
300,000 km2. In contrast, the population of the country, as stated in the 2015 Population
Census by the Philippines Statistics Authority (2017), is at 100,981,437. As reckoned by
the Philippine Statistics Authority (2014) from the 2010 Population Census, the
population in 2045 would be at 142 million irrespective of the decline in the population
growth rate. However, due to the differences in the nature of the information in the 2010
and 2015 Population Censuses, it is expected that the 142 million projection mark would
likely increase. This makes us expect that the competition for the resources in the
lowlands to heavily increase. In turn, would compel more people from the lowlands to
migrate to the uplands which would further aggravate the worsening situation in the
uplands.

According to the Maglinao (1998), the upland area of the Philippines is estimated
to have an expanse of 9.4 million hectares or 31% of the total land area of the country.
This implies that the upland area is still sufficient to cover the present population but not
the growing population. The forest cover has considerably dwindled from 1500s up to
the present times. According to the Forest Management Bureau (2018) in its 2018
Philippine Forestry Statistics, the forest cover of the country is at 7,014,152 ha or 23%
of the total land area. As compared to the forest cover of the country in the early 1900s
stated in the report of the Southeast Asia Sustainable Forest Management Network
Group (1993), the Philippines back then had a forest cover of 70% of the total land area
or 21,000,000 hectares. The drastic reduction in the forest cover of the country can be
best attributed to the rampant irresponsible usage of upland resources. Considering that
the Philippines still had a fewer population during those days, resources were
supposedly easier to regulate than these days. The lax enforcement of environmental
laws has not changed as some violators both in lowlands and uplands are still able to
escape the clutches of the law.

With the exponential increase in population, the situation would likely get worse.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (2019), the poverty incidence in 2018 is
at 16.6% of the total population. Despite the decline in the percentage as demonstrated
by the same agency, the raw number of people who experience poverty will likely
increase due to the steady increase of the population. As most crimes that involve
property and natural resources stem from poverty, it is expected that more would likely
violate environmental laws. Considering that there is high concentration of poverty
incidence among uplanders, it could not be discounted that violators would likely come
from their ranks. The migration of lowlanders into the uplands would further aggravate
the situation as they would be joining the competition. In some forested areas, slash-
and-burn technique is still widely used due to its relative convenience despite efforts
from the enforcers of the environmental laws. The vicious cycle of burning forests from
crop cultivation due to the slash-and-burn technique still has to end.

However, with the increase in population, regulating the uplands would probably
be harder in the future compared to this day. The resources are dwindling and
competition is increasing making it unhealthy for the economics of the uplands. The
trees are considered to be renewable resources but their number has not renewed for
the past century. If desirable changes in the manner of regulating the upland resources
would not be instituted, situation would be very dire in the future. Considering the
situation of the lowlands, stiff competition in the urban areas resulted to relatively high
crime rates in such areas. Since people tend to move away from areas of high pressure
in socio-economic sense, they would likely settle in more comparatively relaxed settings
like the uplands. Despite being said by some people that life in the uplands is harder
than in the lowlands, some people will indeed move from the lowlands to the uplands
due to them being unable to have a relatively easy lifestyle in the lowlands. Of course,
every person has the instinct to go to places that would make them feel assured. If they
cannot feel assurance in the lowlands, they would go to the uplands before eventually
settling.

Nevertheless, this position paper should not be construed that it supports

inhumane depopulation measures as they are deemed desperate and unethical. Every
person is entitled to live comfortably with a decent access to the natural resources.
However, everything must be in order and should be regulated. The lax enforcement of
environmental laws should level up so that the number of violators would be de minimis.
Reforms in the economic and financial laws should be instituted so that all would
equitably benefit. The vicious cycle that the slash-and-burn technique has imposed
could end by letting the people know that the forests are important and they would only
cause long-term damage to the fertility of the burned lands, apart from mere
enforcement of environmental laws. Improving the living conditions in the lowlands
would prevent lowlanders from settling in the uplands. In addition, the efficient usage of
alienable lands should be instituted by effectively implementing the Comprehensive
Land Use Plan of every city and municipality in the country. By efficiently utilizing every
parcel of land, the lowlanders would not be compelled to utilized the uplands to make
ends meet. In such manner, the sprawl of communities would likely be limited to the
alienable lands only.

It is important that people should already consider the efficient and effective
usage of natural resources so that lands, especially the uplands, would no longer be
forcibly denuded just to produce basic commodities. The awareness in family planning
by every family in the Philippines could solve the exponential population growth.
Resolution of the unnecessary population growth would likely curtail unhealthy and toxic
competition for natural resources among individuals. These measures are definitely
easy to say but hard to implement. However, this is the only way to secure the
sustainability of the uplands. If everyone fails to do all the measures in the present
times, it would to be hard to do them in the future. Everyone in the present generation
would only be passing the problem to the next ones with the situation further worsened.
So, now is the time to sustain the uplands as such areas cannot sustain the country if
everyone does not sustain it at all.

References:

Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. (2020). Philippines. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved

March 09, 2020 from https://www.britannica.com/place/Philippines.

Forest Management Bureau (2018). 2018 Philippine Forestry Statistics. Retrieved

March 09, 2020 from
https://drive.google.com/file/d/11CD_G3T1GFBCYi0jDZLp0oab12NwAtS-/view.

Maglinao, A. (1998). Characterization of Slopeland Environment and Resources. Food

and Fertilizer Technology Center. Retrieved March 09, 2020 from
http://www.fftc.agnet.org/library.php?func=view&id=20110802091257&type_id=2.

Philippine Statistics Authority (2014). A 142 Million Philippine Population by 2045?.

Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved March 09, 2020 from
https://psa.gov.ph/content/142-million-philippine-population-2045.

Philippine Statistics Authority (2017). Philippine Population Surpassed the 100 Million
Mark (Results from the 2015 Census of Population). Philippine Statistics
Authority. Retrieved March 09, 2020 from https://psa.gov.ph/population-and-
housing/title/Philippine%20Population%20Surpassed%20the%20100%20Million
%20Mark%20%28Results%20from%20the%202015%20Census%20of
%20Population%29.

Philippine Statistics Authority (2019). Proportion of Poor Filipinos was Estimated at 16.6
Percent in 2018. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved March 09, 2020 from
https://psa.gov.ph/poverty-press-releases/nid/144752.

Southeast Asia Sustainable Forest Management Network Group (1993). Upland

Philippine Communities: Guardians of the Final Forest Frontiers. Berkeley:
Center for Southeast Asia Studies, University of California.