Upland Environmental Governance Concerns

Figure 01, Landslide and Degradation due to Human Activities (credit image, TVIRD)

“The landscape structure and elements brought in the forest ecosystem are natural given that must be protected to sustain the needs of the whole lands and the human aspect in the preservation of the next generation that supposed to be somehow. The country's crafted policies, laws, and strategies are enough in the preservation of the upland environment and governance. However, with the human aggravations that continuously happening in the country, though, sustainable forest management cannot be achieved unless the leader has a political will. Figure 01 is one of the examples of human activities, and sad to say but it's true. Moreover, this article will tackle all the issues and concerns in environmental governance and implications that mean political ecology and environmental policy in advocating sustainability as well.”

Insights on Governance

Based on Wikipedia and the author quoted that “environmental governance is referring to the processes of decision-making involving the control and management of the environment and natural resources; the concept of political ecology and environmental policy in advocating sustainability.”

In similar ways, the author assimilate some various issues in the environmental governance that needs to be addressed in the present management of the government administration relative to uplands concerns, which can’t be denied such as exploitative resource use and the land cover that have been change drastically towards urbanization due to the growing population and human activities on the other side. A human-altered landscape becomes an excuse for some development, they are looking at or in any form of activities that cannot be controlled due to ambiguous and that cause detrimental effects to the main forest we have in our landscape biodiversity. But because of human activities, the incidents will always as a result of deforestation and forest degradation, and thus, landslide happening unexpectedly throughout the country that brings numerous accidents and allegations due to some corrupt practices.

Addressing the Issues and Concerns

To protect the loss of Philippine Forest is the creation of logging ban, however, Bugayong (2006) has cited that logging moratorium is a policy instrument being used by the government in response to the environmental, socio-economic, political form, other concerns, and issues that threaten the forest and the resources within the ecosystem. Accordingly, the policies as described have been created to monitor the unchecked logging activities somehow, demands from the local officials and other sectors, calamities resulting in flooding, landslides and economic sabotage problems that the country might be facing.

And for decades, the landscape ecosystem was being molested and managed by the thief’s oligarchs who are the tycoon business companies and all the graft and corrupts politicians who are in power that made the country poorer. Because they control the policies that supposed to be for the people, and the reign of the habitual practices that maintain in years and to the fact that the inflation rates are continuously increasing in the overall price level of goods and services as well for the country’s economy over a period of time from Cory Aquino to Noynoy Aquino administrations, hence, that was very sad for the Filipinos.

Additionally, the need for the conservation and preservation of the outstanding forest to sustain for the next generation that supposed to be, however, was drastically violating the existing laws in the country and most of the mining companies are doing it to fatten their own pockets without even thinking the consequences that people on both upland and lowland as well as the biodiversity might suffer. And because of malpractices and treating the environment unusual and unethical, the repercussion brought to landslides, frequent flooding and extreme heat to the environment whereas others might say it is due to climate change and the global warming effect. However, that is what we believe in, but in reality, that is because of human activities and human-altered landscapes brought to the ecosystem for their self-interest. Moreover, this is to remind all citizens of the Philippines, the country’s lawmakers had created and crafted such good laws and policies that will address in protecting the country’s forest ecosystem and the entire natural resources. Notwithstanding, following the governance concerns in the country, the leader must have a strong political will in implementing all the laws and policies that supposed to be for the country that will sustain the needs of the Filipinos as well as sustaining the environment sustainably.

Another issue is the emergence of urban sprawl in the country and these have been a characteristic of global urban development and that includes human-altered landscaping towards urbanization, which means, the population has continuously increased drastically and that cannot be controlled by anyone without any proper family planning and discipline. And with the increasing population, nobody can predict but the constraints in topography, ancestral land conflicts and land developments will always be problems and headaches by everyone in the country resulting to massive pollutions that will affect the entire ecosystem without any compromising individual activities, and hence, losing hopes a nuisance.

The essentials of public utilities composed of water supply, energy and other public services must be government-protected for the sake of Filipino needs. However, these have been monopolized by the graft and corrupt oligarchs in the country. This has been explained in the author’s article (Gomeseria, RV; “Landscape Function in the Role of Water Conservation, a Reaction;” ResearchGate), In such a way, these had been done during the Cory Aquino to Noynoy Aquino administrations through privatization movement by the so-called thieves oligarchs resulting in graft and corruptions that Filipino suffers to it, and thus, slow down the economic growth that supposed to be, but experiencing urban sprawls waste problems, increasing consumption patterns, mining operations, tourism, and illegal dumping all grounds.

Contribution Made in the Upland Environmental Governance

The beauty of the environment reflects on individual characters they inherited from their childhood until they become a real adult. Because of the talent, which we have got from our ancestors, and with that, we observe the behavioral differences between the environments around us and from the situations wherever we stand for. Individual experiences can’t be denied and as they open their eyes and as they walk by, from their childhood through whatever observation gathered will become their foundation as humans. Whatever experiences and observations we learned in our environment becomes a vital foundation, which stimulates our ideas that might fall on either negatively or positively adjunct to individual attitudes of an individual’s future admiration and as a successor too.

However, with the observation, ideas, and experiences; we have to collate aligning to our philosophical term “environmental advocacy” which immense depending on individual careers, vocations, and activities especially for loves to the environment on the way an individual can express and fill up with peace of mind. The serenity of the place that can bring you with a bright and beautiful mind whereas the Philippines is one of the richest in natural resources that can’t be imagined, but sad to say, the way they lead in the past administrations are full of graft and corruption from various sectors of their governances.

Moreover, as you can notice, year after year, our environment has changed dramatically due to what they called “climate change phenomenon,” whereas, it becomes serious global problems. The author can’t deny but it is true and happening in today’s generation of all the human-altered consequences done throughout biodiversity affecting the economic landscape. And do believe that it is the reality and is now happening today. And due to the environmental progression historically, the relevant cause happening is with the Climate Change affecting globally, and these changes are kept on changing the entire ecosystem based on the facts of researchers and developments conducted by the scientists and the scholars from Westerners being funded and disperse for us to be informed and aware of it. And these have been validated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) whereas hundreds of independent and governmental scientific organizations have been released of the same statements worldwide and repeatedly concluded with the same sentiments. Almost around 97% of scientists agreed due to their findings as such; 1) Unequivocally warning, and 2) Human activity as the primary cause.

The greenhouse effect causes Climate Change in the environmental governance, the author might say, the Middle East on the other hand in the present generation is one of the contributors of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and accordingly, whereas CO₂ trapped more heat which will make the whole planet warmer and warmer that lead into changing the environment than the usual norm. These are one of those activities being acted upon by the human on earth with a simple formula of the underlying physics on how our Earth system works a warmer. And with the climate change implication towards environmental governance, adding extra CO₂ and other greenhouses gas emission contribution in the atmosphere due to the environmental possibilism effect with massive infrastructure development happening around the world, and hence, these become a problem that needs to be addressed with a policy in sorting-out somehow in improving the ecosystem at present. Because most concrete visible we have now in our generation, and most common examples of the causes and impacts in contributing to climate change, that has been developed over time are their greediness, world economic demand and values of the countries globally relevance mostly on human activities throughout; 1) Industrial Revolution, 2) Agricultural Advancement, and 3) Technological revolution; that nobody can control.

Ecological Implications toward Contributions

The implied system model of human ecology whereas both the social system and the ecosystem are interacting with each other towards environmental governance. However, integrity as a system will retain the same but changing the structural configuration according to their internal dynamics. And hence, these simplify the social system-ecosystem interactions relationships that involve the system model of human ecology which emphasizes in four (4) relational aspects towards improving the upland environmental governance with the following concerned; 1) Ecosystem inputs into the social system, 2) Social system inputs into the ecosystem, 3) Institutional change with the social network in response to the ecosystem inputs, and 4) Changes in the ecosystem in response to the social system inputs.

Throughout observations as an environmental advocate, experiences, ideas and the given lesson materials of these ecological governances, the author might say, it is very interesting to know things about how the systems model works, whereas human ecology implies climate change and environmental governance. The author has nothing to say but the social system to the ecosystem and from ecosystem to social network of relevance and implications towards our society we live in with the Climate Change.

Accordingly, the APFNet (2011) had discussed that people are willing to protect the forests if they will receive the socioeconomic benefits of conservation through eco-tourism initiatives. And as far as ecotourism initiatives are concerned, these have a lot of potential in conservation strategy as those people concerned are being encouraged to protect the environment due to the socioeconomic incentives in return that will provide for all. However and the author’s quoted that, the concept of sustainable forest management is already the basis for developing policies reflecting the economic, ecological, social and cultural dimensions of forestry of several countries worldwide; and it is indeed to overcome the process.

Additionally, with the political will that has been provided by the government within the environment can motivate and inspired the whole communities and the author quoted as such; 1) institutional development, to capacitate forestry institutions’ readiness for promotion and implementation of sustainable resource management efforts/project; 2) cross-sectoral collaboration, for effectively addressing cross-cutting/cross-sectoral issues in forest management; 3) stakeholder involvement, local empowerment, and secure tenure, for promoting decentralization, strengthening partnerships, securing tenure for eligible recipients, and inclusive participation in forest management; 4) alternative livelihoods, for addressing the root cause of forest degradation/deforestation which is for generating income; 5) forest management plans, which are participatory, site-specific, well-prepared and coordinated; 6) innovative financing, for facilitating sustainable forest management; and 7) capacity building, education, and research, for improving relevant skills of staff, enhancing knowledge and informing decisions. Thus, these will be the contribution towards improving the upland environmental governance and the author's guess, however, with our effort and cooperation will help and facilitate good governance. 

Recommendation

With all the above, the essentials of the country's crafted policies, laws, and strategies must be implemented consistently to address all the issues and concerns in the forests preservation and conservation most specifically within the upland environment as discussed. This is to sustain a forest sustainable environment in the preservation of biodiversity so that Figure 01 will not be happening whatever calamities may come in the country and even though, the agencies must be prepared promptly.

Conclusion

It had been said that sustainable forest management is a compounded endeavor; however, these require the engagement from different sectors as far as governances are concerned within the ecosystem and most importantly, the legislation within the local jurisdiction has to seek to define the scope and boundaries in the policy formulation and implementation to make it credible. On another hand, in resolving all the issues as discussed, the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) has prescribed solutions and that applies in general within the environmental governance whereas the author’s quoted as follows: 1) new knowledge for informed decision-making and implementation of solutions; 2) Capacity building and awareness-raising; and 3) strengthening policies, enforcing capacitates and monitoring for high-risk sectors in mountains (Semernya, Ramola, Alfthan, & Giacovelli, 2017).

Write-Up Reference can be Read from this Link;

Gomeseria, RV; (January 2020); “Upland Environmental Governance Concerns;” Retrieved from; https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338634535_Upland_Environmental_Governance_Concerns