Local environment office needs more forest rangers
THE province, with almost 65,000 hectares of untenured forest area, is in desperate need for forest rangers.
At present, there are only 21 forest rangers across the province, practically giving each one 4,500 hectares to look after.
Wendy Co, provincial environment and natural resources officer, said given this situation, it is almost impossible for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to control forest denudation in the mountains.
“That’s actually my concern and I have been telling our main office about it,” Co told The Punch.
“Ideally, the ratio should be one forest ranger to take care of 1,000 hectares only,” she added.
Untenured forests refer to areas not issued with tenure instruments like socialized integrated forest management agreement, which gives rights to a person to manage, develop and protect a certain forest area for 25 years with a certain fee and sharing scheme with the government, she said.
Co said no rangers can be hired today because of an existing order from the national government prohibiting the filling up of positions which have already been vacant for at least four years.
Worse the P8,500 per month job cannot possibly attract the best candidates.
To augment the forest protection force, Co said her office has been tapping the help of the communities and volunteers under the Bantay Gubat program.
Threats to the untenured forests include kaingeros, people who take down trees for charcoal or firewood; cogon gatherers, and gatherers of big ants’ eggs for food as they burn trees to create footpaths.
Still others encroach in these areas and convert the forest area into agricultural land.
Meanwhile, the provincial environment office is currently undertaking an inventory of denuded forest areas in the province following a request from the National Economic Development Authority two weeks ago.
The survey aims to establish the percentage of forest covers by town, the increase in rate of reforestation, the rate of forest destruction, and the reforestation scheme, among others.#
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