From 27 million hectares down to as little as 7 million hectares, the Philippines is facing a rapid decline of forest cover. Most of the country’s old growth forests are in danger of deforestation. In Palawan, Sierra Madre, Samar and Leyte, and Mindanao, the forests are threatened by agricultural conversion and human settlements.
Contributing to the decline of forest covers are logging activities, poor law enforcement, and big and small scale mining projects in biodiversity-rich areas such as Palawan. Data provided by the Forest Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources states that the country is losing approximately 47,000 hectares of forest cover every year.
“The threat of deforestation has become so severe that we are losing forest cover at an alarming rate. If we do not take action, our forests may not be around for the next generation to see,” said Forest Foundation Philippines’ Executive Director, Atty. Jose Canivel.
The Best Friends of the Forest Movement
It is for this reason that the Forest Foundation Philippines has issued a call to action for students, conservationists, environmentalists, and nature lovers alike as it launches its youth-advocacy campaign, the Best Friends of the Forest Movement (BFF Movement or #BFFMovement)
“The youth are upbeat, hopeful, and they want to contribute to the greater good. We want to empower the youth and give them a platform to do good for the forests,” he added.
The movement aims to gather a community of environmentalists, travelers, social entrepreneurs and artists with the goal of inspiring and empowering the youth into action.
“Our mission is to engage and empower the next generation to take up the mantle of forest conservation and protection. All you need is one thing to be a BFF —you have to have the passion to take action and champion our forests.”
Passion Points
The BFF Movement aims to tap into passion points such as Ecotourism, Arts & Culture, Social Entrepreneurship, and Environmental Conservation. These steps targets to achieve the goal of promoting forest conservation and protection, building a community of advocates.
Activities such as nature trails, talks, workshops and fostering partnerships with other organizations will be conducted. The BFF Movement hopes to engage the youth and take them right into the heart of the action to help raise awareness. The BFF Movement hopes to inspire fellow millennials to champion the conservation and protection of our forests.
“We want our BFFs to openly share their passion, inspire, and bring awareness to pressing issues. This is all about channeling the advocacies for forest conservation and protection by engaging the passions of the youth. We hope to shape the next generation to advocate for the conservation and protection of the forests,” explains Atty. Canivel.
Meet the BFFs
New BFFs with Atty Ogie Canivel — MUNI’s Jen Horn, woodworker artist Niccolo Jose; Carlo, a conservationist, U.P. Mountaineers Ara and Seigfried at the launch of the BFF Movement. Each of these BFF serve to embody the advocacies and passion points of the movement.
“Since I was 8 years old, I’ve been climbing mountains around the Philippines and having seen the beauty of the mountains, I feel that it’s my obligation to be part of efforts to protect them,” shared Pinoy Mountaineer and new BFF, Dr. Gideon Lasco, on his advocacy and mission as one of the first BFFs of the movement.
“By being part of the Best Friends of the Forest Movement, I look forward to engaging with others who share the same passion, learning more from fellow advocates and also reaching out to the youth and to people from all walks of life,” he added.
U.P. Mountaineer, Ara Peoro, explains the importance of being part of the BFF Movement, saying “with the BFF Movement, we hope to achieve two things—to inspire more, and to do more. We hope to inspire more outdoor and travel enthusiasts to be aware and more responsible about their environmental impacts.”
Be Part of the Movement
