Forests need BFFs, too
You cannot protect what you don’t know.
These are the words that Ara Peoro of The U.P. Mountaineers believe should be at the core of efforts to engage and reach out to the youth to bring about awareness and action-oriented advocacy about the current state of our forests.
According to the Forest Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the combined threats of logging activities, poor law enforcement, and mining projects in biodiversityrich areas such as Palawan, has caused the Philippines to experience a loss of about 47,000 hectares of forest cover every year.
“The threat of deforestation has become so severe that we are losing forest cover at an alarming rate. If we do not take action, our forests may not be around for the next generation to see,” explained lawyer Jose Canivel, executive director of Forest Foundation Philippines.
With its mission to support activities that foster forest protection, the Forest Foundation Philip- pines (FFP) launched the Best Friends of the Forest (BFF) Movement to call for action and involvement among students, conservationists, environmentalists, and nature lovers that have “passion to take action and champion our forests.”
APPRECIATION, AWARENESS, ADVOCACY
Gideon Lasco of PinoyMountaineer.com has climbed several mountains in the Philippines and around the world and has seen what’s at stake. According to him, the environment is not something that’s out there but is something very real to him – a part of his future.
“When you’re in the forest and hearing the beautiful sounds of birds and cacophonies then suddenly, it’s being interrupted with the sound of chainsaws, what would you feel?” he asked.
A medical doctor and anthropologist by profession, Lasco said that intimacy with the nature is what inspires him to protect it and to be part of FFP’s advocacies and activities.
Through hiking and mountaineering, Lasco realized that the environment has no voice and that we, as human beings, should be that voice.
“An appreciation to me is the beginning of awareness, and awareness is the beginning of advocacy,” he shared.
BFFS AND THE YOUTH
The role of the youth in protecting and conserving forests indeed sprouts from an influence that will help them envision an environment emancipating from the destructive forces of deforestation.
With this, the BFF Movement aims to gather a community of environmentalists, travelers, social entrepreneurs and artists with the goal of inspiring and powering the youth into action.
“The youth are upbeat, hopeful, and they want to contribute to the greater good. We want to empower the youth and give them a platform to do good for the forests,” Canivel added.
Along with this campaign is the BFF Movement’s action plan to tap into passion points namely ecotourism, arts & culture, social entrepreneurship, and environmental conservation that help achieve its goal of promoting forest conservation and protection through activities such as nature trails, talks, workshops, and fostering partnerships with other organizations.
More than being advocates, the BFF Movement is looking forward to grow more relationships to its relevant audiences, with emphasis to the youth and millennial sector, on information on the knowledge, attitude, and perception regarding forests by 2019.
To take part in this movement, visit www.forestfoundation.ph.