What Are the Legal Bases in the Philippines concerning Environmental Protection Brainly

Filipinos, fishermen and sailors have regularly reported arbitrary actions – such as confiscation of catches or fishing gear – by Beijing vessels in the shoal in recent years. [fn] Crisis Group interviews, October-November 2020.Hide footnote After the 2016 arbitration ruling and the start of Duterte`s term, China initially allowed Filipinos to fish in Scarborough, but since then this has been ambiguous. [fn] In March 2017, reports cited local Chinese officials planning to install environmental monitoring stations in Scarborough. Jesse Johnson, “China planning `monitoring station` on hotly disputed South China Sea Shoal,” Japan Times, March 17, 2017. Such a station was not built. Hide footnote The informal agreement between Duterte`s envoy and Beijing was oral, and its interpretation appears to depend on the “mood” of Chinese coast guard personnel. [fn] Crisis Group online interview, official, November 10, 2020; Journalists, 4 and 17 November 2020. According to former Philippine Navy chief Giovanni Bacordo, the shoal is regularly guarded by a few coast guard vessels and three fishing vessels. Quoted in “Online Forum with Philippine Navy`s FOIC Vice Admiral Bacordo,” Foreign Correspondents` Association of the Philippines (webinar), August 9, 2020. The fate of fisheries in the South China Sea is inseparable from the state of the environment, as confirmed by independent experts during the 2016 arbitration. In fact, the tribunal found that the effects of Chinese land reclamation in the Spratlys between 2013 and 2015 and the illegal harvesting of protected species such as turtles and mussels, sometimes by local intermediaries, had led to a deterioration of the marine ecosystem. [fn] China`s official land reclamation communications attempted to explain the protective measures taken during construction.

However, most experts in the field are skeptical about mitigation measures and efforts to repair damage. Hide footnote Pressure on habitats is likely to have a negative impact on fish abundance. [fn] For example, mussel poaching has led to the destruction of coral reefs, which are crucial for fish mobility and provide a food source for some species. Hide Footnote Beijing, meanwhile, suffered a publicity stunt in April 2020 when the Chinese Embassy in Manila released a song accompanied by a music video in tribute to frontline workers trying to contain the pandemic in both countries. Filipinos criticized the song on social media for its reference to what the Chinese embassy called cooperation between “friendly neighbors across the sea,” saying China`s behavior in the dispute belied. [fn] Glee Jalea, “Chinese embassy`s `Iisang Dagat` tribute sparks outrage online,” CNN Philippines, April 26, 2020.Hide footnote The relationship between deforestation and primary and secondary forest conditions is dynamic. As logging transforms primary forests into secondary forests, loggers move to new primary forests. Implicit in this scheme is the idea that secondary forests do not return to a state suitable for a second harvest, although several dealers in the Philippines are known to have returned for a second crop.

Concessionaires have generally not advocated for the protection of secondary forests, enrichment or reforestation (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and United Nations Environment Programme, 1982). Overall, there appears to have been minimal forest protection in the Philippines. The CVRP-1 social forestry project (1984-1989) was the first attempt at the community forestry concept (Dugan, 1989). The project was located on a 17,000 ha site on the island of Negros Oriental with 4,500 ha of forest and about 17,500 inhabitants. The area had been under a logging ban since 1979, but illegal logging continued at an annual rate of about 1,360 ha. Eighteen forest stewardship associations, composed of forest dwellers and farmers, have been formed. Under the direction of project staff, they assumed responsibility for the management and conservation of designated forest areas. The rate of forest destruction dropped sharply – by 92 percent – when cooperatives began monitoring their areas, remaining at just 100 ha per year until 1989. Migratory (burning) cultivation in the forest has been significantly restricted. Large-scale illegal logging has been eliminated.

Using labour-based technology, the cooperative`s members engaged in limited logging that increased their incomes far beyond what they had previously earned. These projects have been proven successes that have supported the hypothesis that the deforestation process can only be controlled if forest dwellers are directly involved in the enterprise. 17. Promote cooperation among beneficiary countries in South-East Asia in the fields of marine scientific research, fisheries conservation and environmental protection. China`s capture of Mischief Reef amid the Spratlys in 1995 marked a major shift in competition for control of these features. China saw an opportunity after a Philippine Senate vote in 1991 forced the US to withdraw from its Philippine bases and build lightweight structures on the reef. [fn] In addition, China has maintained a naval presence and established navigation facilities and a military observation post on the reef. Vitug, Rock Solid, op. cit. cit., pp. 29-30.Hide footnote The construction was a “shock” to the Philippines and profoundly affected its sense of security, especially after Chinese troops occupied the new structures. [fn] Crisis Group online interview, academic, August 6, 2020.

It was the first time China had challenged the territorial claims of a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Despite Manila`s lobbying, his colleagues gave only a discreet explanation for the incident. Despite the 1951 US-Philippine decision, Washington remained neutral in Manila`s subsequent dispute with Beijing and gave no clear assurance of support for its ally. [fn] The longstanding U.S. policy was that the mutual defense treaty did not cover disputed areas in the South China Sea. Hide footnote As a result, questions have been raised among Filipino politicians and diplomats about the usefulness of the strategic alliance with the United States. [fn]”The contract has always been subject to interpretation”. Crisis Group online interview, former Philippine diplomat, 3. August 2020 Hide footnote Although water resources have become scarce in some regions and seasons, there is more than enough surface and groundwater in the entire Philippines.