Facts and Statistics That Lead To Creating Gcash Forest

To further understand why there is a need to have GCash Forest is because of the current state of Philippine biodiversity and environmental status. From what used to be a lush tropical archipelago, the country has progressed into a more commercial and industrial path which lead to big changes in the environment but caused a huge effect on nature itself.

But first let's dive deep into what Philippine Biodiversity is:



Philippine Biodiversity

• The Philippines is one of the 17 mega biodiverse countries. It is among the countries that contain two-thirds of the Earth’s biodiversity and 70 percent of world’s plants and animal species due to its geographical isolation, diverse habitats and high rates of endemism. 
• Thirty percent of the population, including 12 to 15 million indigenous people, resides in the uplands where most of the forests are located.
• Haribon Foundation forester Thaddeus Martinez said the country needs 54 percent of forest cover to protect against landslides and ensure water availability from watersheds, but currently we are at around 22% forest Cover
• Around 1.2 million hectares of denuded and degraded forest lands of the country need to be rehabilitated by 2022
• The Philippines is one of the world’s hotspots with a large number of endangered and threatened species–making it a top global conservation priority area.
• The country hosts more than 52,177 described species of which more than half is found nowhere else in the world. On a per unit area basis, the Philippines probably harbors more diversity of life than any other country on the planet. 
• According to 2011 FAO data, the forestry sector contributed US $ 528.7 million to the economy, which is approximately 0.2 percent of the GDP.
• At least 49 thousand people are directly employed by the forestry sector.
• The Philippines is losing approximately 47,000 hectares of forest cover every year
• There are 237 terrestrial fauna (animals) are threatened with extinction and - 984 threatened Philippine plants
• The Philippines still ranks among the top ten countries with the largest number of species threatened with extinction (CI, 2013)

We can also look into the Ipo Watershed which is a critical water source of metro manila, and the area where GCash Forest will plant the trees.

Ipo Watershed

• Ipo watershed is a vital link in the Angat-Umiray-Ipo watersheds system which supplies around 98% of the water needs of Metro Manila.
• Primarily consisting of public forestlands, forest cover in the area has dramatically dropped from 85% to just 40% in recent years.
• The main thrust of the project is to go beyond the usual tree planting activities and expand it to forests management to help ensure that the planted trees will actually grow to provide their full benefits to the environment and the different stakeholders. This will include rehabilitation and enhancement of existing forests and not just the reforestation of denuded areas. A long-term sustainability plan will be put in place, managed by an effective management body.
• Philippine watersheds and aquifers could supple 479 billion cubic meters of water annually for domestic, industrial and agricultural uses.

Philippine Forests

• Philippines lose 47k hectares of trees annually.
• Haribon Foundation forester Thaddeus Martinez said the country needs 54 percent of forest cover to protect against landslides and ensure water availability from watersheds. Forest Coverage is currently at around 22%.
• Around 1.2 million hectares of denuded and degraded forest lands of the country need to be rehabilitated by 2022.
• Total Forest Cover has decreased from 7,168,400 (2003) to 6,839,717 (2010)

What Gcash Partners say about Gcash Forest?
“As we work on rehabilitating the Ipo watershed and securing Metro Manila’s water supply, partnering with GCash enables us to continue rallying a vast network who could grow our movement of restoring our forests and protecting our biodiversity.”  

-Joel Palma-President, WWF-Philippines

“We are depleting our natural wealth at an unimaginable rate. While the Philippines is mega diverse it is also a hot-spot given the extent of the threat to our natural environment.  There is no one magic bullet that can turn the situation around.  We need diverse actors to engage and find diverse solutions. And we need unusual partnerships – which in time will become usual partnerships.  GCash, WWF and DENR are now embarking on one to reduce our carbon footprint and help the Philippines meet its reforestation targets.  UNDP through BIOFIN is delighted to bring these actors together to stem the tide on our rapid loss of forest cover.”

Titon Mitra-Resident Representative UNDP

OK now that you have been oriented on the importance of Philippine Diversity, thee Ipo Watershed, and how GCash partners view the project as a very progressive way for environmental conservation as well as help solve a lot of problem just by planting trees.

For more information, check out our feature about GCash Forest.