Typhoons ‘leading threat’ to WV forestlands, DENR-6 says

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Region 6 (DENR-6) said Friday that typhoons were the biggest environmental threats to the stability of Western Visayas’ forestlands in 2022.

A press release issued by the DENR-6 on Friday indicated 155 typhoon-related threats to the region’s forestlands in 2022.

This is followed by huts, houses, or illegal infrastructures (32), landslides and mudslides (27), cutting of trees (24), slash-and-burn or kaingin (16), hunting (15), annual and perennial farming (13), garbage (11), charcoal (8), fire and pests and diseases (5 each), and logging trail and mining and quarrying (1 each).

Typhoon-related threats are considered by the agency as ‘force majeure’, thus there is no need for response from forest patrollers, unlike human activities.

“Notwithstanding the legal principle: “ignorance of the law excuses no one,” DENR-6’s Lawin patrol teams had been keen not only in giving warnings, but also in educating folks in upland communities,” the DENR-6 said in its press release.

“Upon threat identification, Lawin patrollers make responses during and after patrol activities are done. During patrol, the team would first document, educate, warn, and if the situation so warrants, destroy and dismantle illegal structures. They also engaged in apprehension, arrest and pursuit of violators. Moreover, if needed, filing of case against environmental crime would take its course,” they explained further.

DENR-6 Enforcement Division chief June Melissa Garol said the agency was serious in its role in protecting forest lands within the region.

“The constant presence of our Lawin Patrollers is already a deterrence to illegal activities, it may not be 100 percent but by being on-site and visible, we can say that indeed we are serious in the implementation of ENR laws, rules and regulations,” Garol said.

“[O]ur Lawin patrollers are good information and education communicators. While patrolling, they also talk to the members of the community about the importance of conservation, management and protection of the natural resources,” she added.

The figures on threats were based on the data collected by the DENR-6’s patrollers using the Lawin Forest and Biodiversity Protection System, which helps the agency identify forest and biodiversity threats.

It uses the SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool) and Cyber Tracker applications installed in Lawin patrollers’ smartphones.