State of Land Degradation in the Phils
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Rodelio B. Carating Senior Science Research Specialist Bureau of Soils and Water Management
Outline of Presentation • • • •
Introduction Nature of land degradation in the Philippines Primary causes of land degradation Assessment of land degradation - the BSWM estimate using GIS method • What are being done - improving the assessment using the FAO-LADA approach - the Philippine National Action Plan
Introduction • Land degradation is defined as a long-term decline in ecosystem function and productivity. • The study Global Assessment of Land Degradation and Improvement showed that there are 33,064,628 Filipinos affected by land degradation. The total degraded land is estimated at 132,275 sq. kilometers. There are 100 hectares to a sq kilometer. That’s roughly 13 M hectares of degraded lands based on global estimates
Introduction • It is estimated that soil erosion carries away a volume of soil 1 meter deep over 200,000 hectares a year. • On-site soil fertility losses in the Philippines due to unsustainable land management, as per 1989 World Bank estimates, is to be around US$ 100 M, equal to one percent of Philippine GDP per year. • The quality and management of land resources in the Philippines has become of serious concern because of exponentially increasing population and the need to expand agricultural production to marginal areas while ironically converting prime agricultural lands to nonagricultural uses.
Introduction: Population Figures • The annual growth trend of the Philippine population stood at 2% in the first half of the 20th century, surged in the 1950s, and reached a maximum of 3% in the 1960s. Growth rate gradually declined in the next two decades at just above the 2% level since then. • The 2000 Census placed the Philippine population at about 76.5 M. The National Census Office projects Philippine population to reach 105.5 M by 2020. • The population growth rate is still high by regional standards and this extends the limited resources to accommodate such population increases.
Introduction: Our land resources • The total land area of the Philippines is about 30 M hectares. • A total of 15.8 M hectares are classified as forest lands and 14.2 M hectares are classified as alienable and disposable lands. • Of this 14.2 M hectares, about 13 M hectares are devoted to agriculture of which 6.1 M hectares are highly suitable for cultivation. • Food grains – 4.01 M hectares, food crops – 8.33 M hectares, non-food crops – 2.2 M hectares.
Introduction: Our land resources • Food grains (4.01 M hectares) : the average area for corn is 3.34 M hectares while for rice is 3.31 M hectares. The rice figure is effective average area. Rice is grown on approximately 2.3 M hectares of which 850,000 hectares are irrigated and planted at least 2x and sometimes 3x a year. • For food crops, coconut – 4.25 M hectares, sugarcane is 673,000 hectares, industrial crops with 591,000 hectares, fruits with 148,000 hectares, vegetables and rootcrops with 270,000 hectares, pasture with 404,000 hectares, and cutflowers with 133 hectares.
UNCCD • Desertification is defined as the degradation of land primarily caused by human activities such as overexploitation and inappropriate land use, as well as due to climatic variations. The Convention is anchored on the premise that rehabilitating degraded lands, combating drought, and preventing further degradation would mean an increase in agricultural productivity, and thus reduce poverty and food insecurity. • The Philippines ratified UNCCD on 10 Feb 2000 and final accession to the Convention came in full force on 10 May 2000. BSWM is the Philippine Focal Point.
Nature of land degradation in the Philippines • Accelerated water erosion. Deforestation and unsustainable land management in the uplands make topsoil vulnerable to go with water runoff after a rainfall event. Once the rich top soil is gone, this creates a cycle of poverty, resource exploitation, and under development. • Nutrient mining and soil fertility decline. There is declining trend in productivity despite fertilizer applications under modern intensive farming methods.
Area distribution of Erosion Classes by Island Groupings. (In Million Hectares)
Erosion Class Island Grouping
Total None (e0)
Slight (e1)
Moderate (e2)
Severe (e3)
Unclassified*
Area
%
Area
%
Area
%
Area
%
Area
%
Area
%
Luzon
4.1
57.7
4.1
46.6
4.1
48.2
1.7
32.7
0.2
50.0
14.2
47
Visayas
1.2
16.9
1.7
19.3
1.5
17.0
1.1
21.2
0.1
25.0
5.6
19
Mindanao
1.8
24.5
3.0
34.1
2.9
34.1
2.4
46.1
0.1
25.0
10.2
34
Philippines
7.1
23.7
8.8
29.4
8.5
28.3
5.2
17.3
0.4
1.3
30.0
100
Source: Bureau of Soils and Water Management, 1993 *Unclassified erosion refers to quarry, river wash, and open pit mines
The yearly trend and ratio of N, P, and K utilization (in metric tons per year) is as follows: Year 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998
N 224,866 209,875 232,840 244,179 180,569 205,364 298,323 371,925 372,118 375,940 394,767 292,483 331,537 395,183 396,751 389,295 462,776 541,112 408,778
P 53,784 51,163 56,139 54,784 45,372 42,822 42,771 63,340 77,471 84,101 46,188 30,397 36,025 42,473 46,920 56,817 65,055 65,253 53,299
K 55,782 60,620 57,435 64,496 38,617 35,060 46,267 48,661 54,934 77,260 68,512 54,197 61,628 93,331 38,944 59,098 90,346 93,331 81,740
Ratio (N/P) 4.18 4.10 4.10 4.46 3.99 4.80 6.97 5.87 4.80 4.47 8.55 9.62 9.20 9.30 8.46 6.85 7.11 8.29 7.67
• By 2005, there has been a major shift in government policies owing to accelerated increases in the prices of farm inputs beyond the reach of ordinary farmers and a host of other issues like land degradation and climate change. • Executive Order 481 was issued by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to promote and develop organic agriculture as a farming scheme and to regulate the organic certification procedures. • This is a significant milestone in our agricultural production policy as we refocus on our natural resources than on our external resources. • The national government recognizes that farming methods that neglect the ecology of the soil, crops, and nature damage the farming environment and inimical to our national interest.
Primary causes of land degradation • Intensive logging. Forest cover in the Philippines decreased from 34% in the 1970s to 22% in 1987. The 1987 forest resource inventory showed a forest cover of 6.6 M hectares leaving 10.8 M hectares of possible degraded forest lands. Estimates and distribution of degraded lands are highly variable. Most of the area is mountainous and faces severe erosion problems with vegetation removal. • The underlying causes of deforestation are rooted in a complex web of social, economic, and institutional problems both within and outside the forestry sector.
Primary causes of land degradation • Unsustainable agricultural practices in the sloping uplands. This is due to intensification of agricultural land use without compensating investments in soil conservation and fertility. • A major causal factor is upland migration. Soil loss for various land uses and slopes (tons/hectare/year) Land Use Rice Corn with fallow Other agriculture Forest
18-30 50 50 25 1
Slope Category >30 100 150 50 1
Assessment of Land Degradation: National level (BSWM) • A major output of the third JICA-BSWM technical cooperation (2001-2005) is the development of Agricultural Resources Information System (ARIS) which integrates the earlier completed Soil Information System (SIS) and the Land Resources Information System (LARIS). • The ARIS framework consists of data, query, and model subsystems.
• Under the query system and using ArcGIS 9.3, a check on the “moderately and severely eroded areas” in the Philippines is presented. • The pink colored mapping units are moderately eroded while the red colored mapping units are severely eroded
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Region ARMM CAR CARAGA REGION I (ILOCOS REGION) REGION II (CAGAYAN VALLEY) REGION III (CENTRAL LUZON) REGION IV-A (CALABARZON) REGION IV-B (MIMAROPA) REGION IX (ZAMBOANGA PENINSULA) REGION V (BICOL REGION) REGION VI (WESTERN VISAYAS) REGION VII (CENTRAL VISAYAS) REGION VIII (EASTERN VISAYAS) REGION X (NORTHERN MINDANAO) REGION XI (DAVAO REGION) REGION XII (SOCCSKSARGEN) Total
Area (Ha) 104,721.14 597,028.67 311,791.88 363,363.78 538,458.07 221,223.40 238,153.84 350,052.45 167,433.48 160,569.55 383,826.29 446,037.73 362,123.02 409,467.04 417,666.44 295,130.22 5,367,046.98
Region ARMM CAR CARAGA REGION I (ILOCOS REGION) REGION II (CAGAYAN VALLEY) REGION III (CENTRAL LUZON) REGION IV-A (CALABARZON) REGION IV-B (MIMAROPA) REGION IX (ZAMBOANGA PENINSULA) REGION V (BICOL REGION) REGION VI (WESTERN VISAYAS) REGION VII (CENTRAL VISAYAS) REGION VIII (EASTERN VISAYAS) REGION X (NORTHERN MINDANAO) REGION XI (DAVAO REGION) REGION XII (SOCCSKSARGEN) Total
Area (Ha) 15,345.32 242,293.98 91,157.75 55,764.90 135,040.74 131,069.68 168,144.11 110,973.88 64,757.00 47,100.69 78,077.63 17,794.68 145,725.34 107,578.30 91,351.26 91,996.71 1,594,171.97
Assessment of land degradation: project level • The national level data represents several decades of BSWM efforts to assess the state of land degradation in the country. It took more than 30 years to complete its soil resources assessment of the country. • To update its data, it does not need to resort to direct field survey methodology again. There are now GIS and remote sensing technologies that BSWM uses. • Currently, updated land degradation assessments are done at project levels, e.g.: SAFDZ-CLUP integration, various watershed projects such as those collaborative with JICA and ACIAR.
Sample land degradation assessment at local level: Inabanga, Bohol Watershed (completed BSWM-ACIAR project) • GIS-Based Land and Water Resources Evaluation • Digital map outputs – administrative map, watershed, soils, soil series, soil depth, land use, dominant land cover, slope, erosion, forestry suitability, crop suitability (oil palm, grassland,, land degradation hot spot • Studies on satellite imageries - Bohol island digital map elevation model, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)
ELEVATION (masl) 860.0 688.0 516.0 344.0 172.0 0.0
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Improving the assessment using the FAO-LADA approach • Originally developed for drylands, the methodology is also applicable to other areas such as monsoon areas. • At local level, point data characterize land degradation in terms of observed soil and vegetation chactertistics and semi-quantitative assessment of water resources. • At national and global level, Land Use System map is the basis. • Participatory element is important; community focus group discussion is part of the methodology. • We are yet to participate in the FAO-LADA approach to land degradation assessment.
Land degradation assessment (FAO-LADA): To be done yet • We need to set up an inter-agency task force to work together to come up with Philippine Land System Map; we need expert group and secondary data; we need to come up with sub-legend within the global LUS map. • We need to prepare a project proposal for series of FAOLADA workshops on land degradation assessment. GEF5 is being considered as funding source. • As per LADA experience, it will take about 2.5 years to complete the initial version. A regular updating of the map is important.
The Philippine National Action Plan %$ !&$$( &$%(" %$ ! &$$'"
Strategic Objectives ¬
Objective 1: To improve the living conditions of affected areas
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Objective 2: To improve the condition of affected ecosystems
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Objective 3: To generate global benefits through effective implementation of the Convention
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Objective 4: To mobilize resources to support the implementation of the Convention
Core Indicators for Objectives Strategic Objective 1: To improve the living conditions of affected areas !
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Objective 2: To improve the condition of affected ecosystems ! $ ! %
Objective 3: To generate global benefits through effective implementation of the Convention ! & " # ! '
Objective 4: To mobilize resources to support the implementation of the Convention
Questionnaire on impact indicators ¬
The need for strategies on how best to measure progress on Strategic Objectives 1, 2 and 3 for presentation to COP 9
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The CST Bureau with the participating STC prepared a Questionnaire on Impact Indicators (for Core Indicators S-1to S-7) in use in each affected country on Nov 5-6, 2008;
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The CST Bureau further decided to involve directly the affected countries through the STC in providing information on the Impact Indicators which are in use in their country
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Various NGAs and stakeholders were consulted to accomplish the questionnaire on January 20, 2009
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Accomplished questionnaire was submitted on January 30, 2009 to CST
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The CST Bureau agreed to recommend a minimum set of impact indicators to be proposed on CST 9 and for reporting process in March 2009
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Submitted on April 24, 2009 duly accomplished follow-up questionnaire…. methodologies for data collection and processing and capacities needed to utilize the minimum set of impact indicators.
Framework (Enhanced UNCCD Implementation) )%$*&(+#%&$"$( !'( # &'%($ ( #* &$#"#(
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Summary and conclusion • Compared to arid and semi-arid areas, the state of land degradation in the Philippines is not as bad; nevertheless a cause for alarm considering its extent and impact on food security. • The Philippine National Action Plan to combat desertification and land degradation is being revised to conform to UNCCD format and should be ready in time for the UNCCD-COP9, to be held in Buenos Aires, October this year. • We need to mobilize the Filipino scientific community for an integrated program for methods, standards, data collection, research network, assessment and monitoring of land degradation. We may have to include some socioeconomic instruments.
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