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Environmental Issues of The Philippines

The document summarizes several major environmental problems in the Philippines: 1) Deforestation has left only 3% of original forest cover and is causing soil erosion and threatening endemic species. 2) Coastal development like dredging and construction has damaged coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrasses, with mangroves reduced to 36% of historic levels due to aquaculture. 3) Poor waste treatment and pollution from mining and industry is contaminating water bodies, exacerbated by poor planning and weak enforcement of regulations.

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504 views

Environmental Issues of The Philippines

The document summarizes several major environmental problems in the Philippines: 1) Deforestation has left only 3% of original forest cover and is causing soil erosion and threatening endemic species. 2) Coastal development like dredging and construction has damaged coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrasses, with mangroves reduced to 36% of historic levels due to aquaculture. 3) Poor waste treatment and pollution from mining and industry is contaminating water bodies, exacerbated by poor planning and weak enforcement of regulations.

Uploaded by

joeric1
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS IN THE

PHILIPPINES
ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
Deforestation

After decades of deforestation, which has left about 3% of the
original cover, forests continue to be under threat from agriculture
and urbanization, illegal logging and forest fires.
Sustained forest loss in the Philippines is causing severe soil
erosion, and is threatening the countrys rich biodiversity. This is
particularly worrying as many of the Philippines species, which
depend on these forests, are endemic (they cannot be found
anywhere else in the world
COASTAL INFASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

Coastal zone development has been particularly damaging to the
Philippines marine environment, especially to coral reefs,
mangroves, and seagrasses.

As populations have increased, so have their needs for construction
materials and living space. Excavation, dredging, and coastal
conversion to accommodate coastal development have seen corals
being extracted for reclamation and construction, especially in
coastal villages.

Mangroves have particularly suffered from coastal development,
notably at the hands of the aquaculture industry. In the Philippines,
aquaculture has reduced mangrove stands to only 36% of 1900
levels.

POLLUTION

Only about 10% of sewage in the Philippines is treated or
disposed of in an environmentally sound manner. The rest goes
back to nature usually the sea.

In this context of poor waste treatment and high population
growth, water pollution is a growing problem for the countrys
groundwater, rivers, lakes, and coastal areas. Polluting industrial
material is also found in abandoned mining areas, with mercury
pollution affecting water bodies in these areas.

These problems are unfolding in a context of poor planning, and
weak management and enforcement of regulations.


OVERFISHING AND DESTRUCTIVE FISHING

Fishers in the Philippines are increasingly coming home with pitiful
catches. Of a number of factors which have led to this situation,
one stands out: over-fishing in many areas. According to the Asian
Development Bank (ADB), there has been a drop of 90% in the
quantity of marine organisms that can be trawled in some
traditional fishing areas of the Philippines.

This isnt just a question of declining fish stocks and biodiversity,
but also of social impacts and economic losses. Mismanagement of
fisheries resources is estimated to cost US$ 420 million annually in
lost revenues.

At the root of the overfishing problem is weak fisheries
management, ineffective policies and poor enforcement of fishery
laws.

DECLINE OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND
BIODIVERSITY

The Philippines is suffering from degradation of the natural
environment. It has fifty major rivers now polluted due to abuse and
neglect. Approximately two-thirds of the country's original mangroves
have been lost. A hundred years ago, the Philippines had close to 22
million hectares of old growth forest. At the start of 2000, we had less
than 600,000 hectares of old-growth forest left. In one century, we had
cut down close to 97 percent of our original forest. A study by the
Environmental Scientists for Social Change (ESSC) reveals that we
have systematically cut this forest down and that we have not stopped
its destruction and that of its core biodiversity.

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