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Maddela, Quirino – 04-04-2008 Recent aerial surveys showing the decreasing rate of deforestation in Quirino Province has inspired local officials to further strengthen their protection efforts. The survey conducted by the Community Forestry Foundation of Quirino was presented during the feedbacking session last March 25 on the results of municipal Forest Land Use Plan (FLUP) implementation assessment in the province. Governor Dakila Cua, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Celso Aresta, local DENR officials, and local officials of the towns of Nagtipunan, Maddela, Aglipay, Cabarroguis and Diffun pledged their concerted efforts to completely stop forest denudation in Quirino, and to support tenure holders in managing their stewardship areas. Cua said the result of an aerial survey is welcome news. “But still, we should strive for excellence. We have to put an end to deforestation and increase our resources,” he said. Studies show that from 1993 to 2003, Quirino was losing close to 3,400 hectares of forest annually due to massive land conversion, timber poaching and kaingin. The aerial survey revealed that from 2003 to 2006 the decline in forest cover has been drastically reduced to 236 hectares annually. The Governor pressed for a more active involvement of the provincial government in forest management activities. PENRO Aresta added that they will intensify the surveillance, apprehension and prosecution of timber poachers while aggressively assisting upland communities to renew the forest through agroforestry and reforestation.
The municipalities of Nagtipunan, Maddela, Aglipay, Cabarroguis and Diffun are now implementing their FLUPs, prepared with the help of USAID’s Philippine Environmental Governance2 (EcoGov2) Project and the DENR. EcoGov is likewise assisting the LGUs in plan implementation by providing technical assistance in forest protection and rehabilitation, enterprise development, and by linking them to support institutions. As part of the Sierra Madre Biodiversity Corridor, Quirino has been recognized as an important biodiversity area harboring a wide array of important species of plants and animals . The province hosts three of the most critical watersheds in the region—the Addalam, Ganano and Cagayan River basins that serve as source of potable water for domestic, agricultural and commercial use within the province and in the nearby provinces as well.
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Close to 80,000 hectares of Quirino forests are under stewardship agreements with about 40 Community-based Forest Management (CBFM) associations as beneficiaries. Prompted by the need to strengthen on-site forest management, Individual Property Rights have been issued to some 500 families in close to 2,000 hectares of the CBFM areas. Support in the form of livelihood assistance, reforestation and agroforestry development, nurseries development and support for farm-to-market roads, have been jointly provided by the municipal LGUs, DENR and the provincial government.
