The Philippines is a lush and diverse country located in the Western Pacific. Like other countries plagued by severe deforestation, it is now faces a crisis of habitat destruction. From 1990 to 2005, the country lost 33% of its forest cover.

Every year, 304,000 acres of forest cover are destroyed in the Philippines. At this rate, all remaining forests could be gone by the year 2036.

Unfortunately, government intervention has mostly failed; only 30% of reforestation efforts have even been successful. Logging, forest fires, natural disasters, expansive mining, urbanization and a large growth in population are to blame.

The high levels of poverty in the Philippines have pushed locals to rely upon nearby forests for subsistence and income. Despite bans by local authorities, illegal logging and mining continue to cause deforestation.

Tree loss is also leading to harmful soil degradation as nutrients are depleted from the ground. Poor soil quality in turn leads to lower crop yields, which then pushes locals to resort to illegal forestry to survive. In many areas, at least half of the nutrient-rich topsoil has disappeared.

The alarming rate of forests being destroyed is of particular concern to scientists who confirm the rich ecosystem of the Philippines is home to almost 1,200 different species of animal life and 8,900 different types of plants. Of these, roughly 40% are endemic, meaning they don’t live anywhere else on the planet.

This negative cycle must be stopped.

For these reasons, 8 Billion Trees has partnered with ForestNation to carry out our tree planting project in the Philippines. We hope to begin restoring areas of the Earth that have been brutalized by irresponsible forestry and natural disasters.