Protect what protects us

These are the words of Ann Dumaliang, a self-confessed conservationist who has been active in the operations of Masungi Georeserve, a nature park in Baras, Rizal.

- CHIT U. JUAN

Masungi is spread over 400-plus hectares with 2,700 more being reforested, as Ann says, "for the next generation." And we really must be doing this already as climate change demands more forest cover to mitigate the heat and extreme changes in climate that is now so palpable.

Ann shares that the Philippines has the distinction of being one of only 17 mega-diverse places on Earth.

What an honor and what a status to protect. I used to hear that we also have in our islands the "center of the center of biodiversity" located near the Verde Island Passage between the Mindoro and Batangas coasts.

And is that not something we must be proud of? Not many countries are blessed with such distinction - a "megadiverse" title and a "center of biodiversity" are awards for just being who we are and where we are in the world. But that should also be a call to preserve this honor and do what we can to teach the next generations to keep at it.

What does it take to protect our forests? We need forest rangers at a globally acceptable ratio of maybe 30 hectares to one forester. At present our ratio is 80 hectares per person guarding the forests.

I cannot even walk a five-hectare coffee farm so easily, what more 80 hectares? This may be a call for more youth to take up the challenge and learn to be a forest ranger, a forester or simply a conservationist. I admire foresters and people who can identify trees, which has always been my dream.