Forestry and loss of life

1992/01/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ekologia
• Giza zientziak

In early November typhoon Thelma hit the Philippines and killed some 6,000 people. According to Philippine environmental officials, much of the damage caused by the typhoon is the responsibility of illegal forestry. In the hilly areas of the Leyte and Negros islands, illegal forestry has increased a lot in recent months. As a result, deforestation has become a serious problem. In 40 of the 73 provinces in the Philippines forestry is prohibited, but the government has little force to deal with illegal forestry.

In 1930 17 million hectares of the Philippines were covered with forests and now there are only 7 million. Of the 6,000 deaths of typhoon Thelma, 3000 have occurred in landslides in deforested hills. This type of disaster is expected to incite the government to take concrete and hard action. In 1989 the government of Thailand banned forestry, after the death of 430 people for the penalties.