Philippines ban logging following deadly floods

By Sally Davies
6 Feb 2011 The president of the Philippines, Benigno Aquino, has imposed a nationwide ban on logging after floods which affected a high proportion of the country. The president said that too much logging was resulting in these areas being more susceptible to flooding and landslides. However, it is expected that it will be very hard to implement this new ban. Big timber corporations in the country are exceptionally powerful and in certain areas of the country logging illegally goes unpunished due to corrupt officials. In the past month, over 70 Filipinos have died as a result of flooding brought by unusually heavy rainfall. It has been stated by experts for a long time that cutting down a high number of trees results in soil erosion which makes landslides and flooding more likely to occur. President Aquino is of the opinion that a high number of the recent deaths were caused, indirectly, by logging. As a result of these deaths, he has announced a moratorium where there will be no new timber contracts granted for logging in the country’s natural forests. The government will review existing contracts and put a task force in place to enforce the policy. It is not the only time a president of the Philippines has attempted to slow down the loggers. Most of the recent presidents have come up with reasons to ban logging, without much success. The last time the country tried to ban logging was in 2004, when Gloria Arroyo was the president. The policy was lifted a year later after having few noticeable results.