Project Description
The Project advocates for the passage of the sustainable forest management (SFM) bill by the Congress that seeks to amend the 42-year old Presidential Decree 705 enacted on May 19, 1975 otherwise known as the Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines. In this context, SFM is designed to promote the sustainable use of forestlands through the wise utilization of forestlands and its resources.
The SFFI has been working closely with the House of Representatives’ Committee on Natural Resources in the review and evaluation of the seven versions of the sustainable forest management (SFM) Bills that have been filed by various legislators since the mid-90s. According to the said Committee, there is a need to integrate the filed bills and submit a consolidated version. However, the SFFI intends not only to integrate the filed bills but also to update its contents based on the collective position and information gathered from other stakeholders. The expected result from this is a national policy that effectively promotes forestland reforestation and/or restoration, poverty alleviation, sustainable production of timber and non-timber products, biodiversity enhancement, disaster risk reduction, and contribution to the country’s nationally-determined contribution on tempering climate change.