The Philippines were known as the Paradise Islands before they were given their current name by Spanish colonisers. The over 7000 islands were originally blessed with lush rainforests and abundant marine resources.

However, a rapidly growing population has now taken most of the fish, most of the rainforest, and occupies virtually all the land. Without control and with thinking that saw the bounty of nature as limitless, these islands have been stretched to the limit. A third of the Philippine population of 81 million live under the poverty line. Despite burgeoning cities, 60% of people still make a living from the over-exploited land.

Earth Report goes to one island, Leyte, where environmental rehabilitation schemes like rainforestation are trying to recapture paradise.

Coconut Colony

From 1900, when the US became the colonial master of the Philippines, large tracts of the Philippine rainforest was replaced by coconut palm plantations. Coconut oil was exported in huge quantities for use in margarine, luxury soaps and lotions. By 1930, 5% of all arable land was dedicated to this crop. Today coconut plantations cover 3 million hectares, or 25%, of all arable land, much of it planted on land previously home to some of the world's richest tropical forests.

Monoculture cropping brought profits to traders and exporters, but left a legacy of poverty for Philippine farmers and economic underdevelopment for the country. By the 1980s the bottom had dropped out of the coconut oil market and the old palm trees were dying, leaving empty landscapes. In addition, the logging of valuable mahogany trees led to further decimation of the rainforests, which by now had shrunk to a twentieth of their original size.

Vulnerable Islands

The Philippines' history of agricultural monocropping leaves the islands vulnerable to natural disasters: El Niņo, with its unusual effects on ocean currents, brought drought and storms. Steep hills lacking both undergrowth and trees meant villages were no longer protected from landslides and erosion. Down in the lowlands, the rice paddies silted up and food production collapsed. The silt from the steep slopes washes out to sea, damaging the fragile ecology of the coral reefs and the fish spawning grounds.

Rainforestation for the Future

One initiative to rehabilitate degraded land and save the biodiversity of the Philippine rainforest is rainforestation farming. Rainforestation puts fruit bushes and young trees at ground level protected by faster growing pioneer trees at shading level, leaving mature hardwood poking through at sky level. Using local tree species to simulate the composition of original rainforest, it is expected to provide farmers with a stable and higher income - but not immediately. Although rainforestation includes the planting of a variety of trees and plants, including trees that will yield food crops for short-term profit, trees like the Philippine Mahogany take years to grow and acquire value. The real challenge is for poor farmers to work towards long-term goals that will benefit their grandchildren more than themselves.

Nothing to Lose: Rainforestation on Leyte Island

The villagers of Cienda in Western Leyte saw their quality of life decline for 30 years. Feeling they had little to lose, they were willing to rethink the use of their natural resources and take part in the rainforestation project, a cooperation between the local Leyte State University and German academics.

The Cienda San Vicente Farmers Association was set up in 1996. Its 107 members control over 2,236 hectares ranging from fields and paddies all the way up the mountainside, to protected forest. Over the last eight years, over 20,000 trees have been planted. Although rainforests are difficult to re-establish, the rich volcanic soil on Leyte helps the process. There is a growing environmental awareness amongst Leyte's farmers, and they are also aware of higher incomes and the possibility of a better life by re-instating the forests that they have lost.

Tough Plant: Abaca

A plant very suitable for incorporation in the rainforestation farming system is Abaca or Manila hemp. Besides to prevent erosion, the fiber in the Abaca plant trunk can be used as industrial raw material, particularly in the automobile industry where it can replace synthetic fiber. The Cienda villagers already use them to weave fabric, a new source of income. A new machine has been invented to get the fibres out more efficently - by squeezing rather than combing. The Abaca fibres are extremely strong and with multi-national manufacturers developing an environmental conscience, Abaca is seen as a potential replacement for synthetic glass-fibre. Not just 'soft' parts of cars like boot covers and sound-proofing but 'strong' parts, like wheel fairings and bumpers could be reinforced with Abaca. Companies like Daimler Chrysler are trying out the qualities of Abaca, and if tests are positive, Abaca could replace some of the toxic materials that are used today.

Cooking with Coconuts

The widespread use of traditional cooking stoves using open woodfires contributes to deforestation in the Philippines. These open fires have very low efficiency rates, often less than 10%. At the institute for Agricultural Engineering in the Tropics and Subtropics of Hohenheim University in Germany, a plant oil cooking stove was developed. This is the first stove that can be fuelled with pure plant oils. As coconut oil is abundantly available in the Philippines, this stove will help limit the number of trees cut.

It is also expected that the coconut oil stoves will contribute to the local community by providing employment and income opportunities through the production of coconut oil. It will also reduce the time and effort previously used to collect firewood. The stove itself can be produced locally and can be easily maintained even in rural settings.

The Philippine experience in using the coconut oil stove will indicate whether it is replicable in rural settings in other South East Asian countries.

Rehabilitating Marine Resources

The islands of Digyo, Mahaba, and Apid off western Leyte are home to 603 people. Fish, the staple part of their diet, is disappearing fast. Due to destructive fishing methods like illegal dynamite and cyanide fishing, and commercial fishing by large vessels, mainly from other parts of the Philippines, the lack of alternative sources of income and the constantly increasing population, the marine environment has become seriously endangered.

Euronatur, a German charity, has helped these islands rehabilitate the environmental conditions and conserve the biodiversity through local people's participation. The first step was to generate income so that the people could feed themselves. The islands grow "screw pine" or Pandan indigenously. These plants have leaves that can be woven into mats, hats and pillow cases, which the Apid Women's Livelihood Association now export to all over the world. The men make boats to take visitors to explore the coral reefs and they also rear pigs. Off Mahaba there is now a marine sanctuary where both small-scale and industrial fishing is forbidden. What is left of the biodiversity of the reefs is being preserved. But nobody knows how long it will take to revive the coral reefs and the marine resources.

Long-term Vision

The transformation of Leyte into an eco-paradise has relied heavily on foreign aid. Some say it isn't sustainable, either economically or environmentally. While the agency supporting the projects claims farmers already earn ten times the income they got from coconut plantations, economists who have looked at the books disagree. They don't believe that relying on growing hardwood for 25 years to provide an income is going to work.

But the outcome of such environmental rehabilitation efforts will depend on the ability to look for long-term results, both on the part of the Philippine people and on that of foreign donors.