Island Paradise
Kamusta! Welcome to the Philippines.
The Philippines is an enchanting country made up of over 7,000 islands! The landscape is lush and tropical. The volcanic mountains, dense forests, and colorful coral reefs are home to many unique species of plants and animals found nowhere else in the world. Including, the giant golden-crowned flying fox bat, that has a wingspan of over five feet!
Sadly, over 90% of the rainforests that once covered the islands have disappeared over the last 100 years. Scientists fear that the remaining native forest could soon be lost, along with the plants and animals that live there. Losing rainforest is not only bad for the environment, but also bad for people living in the Philippines and all over the world.
But why are the forests disappearing?
Like many other places in the world, people are cutting down the trees for a number of reasons. Logging, mining, farming and construction are the main reasons that many of the large old growth trees are being cut. Some people in the Philippines are trying to find ways to protect the remaining forests and replant the trees that have disappeared. Scientists and students at the University of the Philippines Los Banos College of Forestry and Natural Resources are experimenting with ways to reforest the barren land quickly. They are replanting native island trees by gathering seeds, grafting, and using clippings from old trees to grow seedlings in nurseries. Preventing forest loss is not easy, but people in the Philippines understand that trees are an important part of their past, present and future.
The Philippines is an enchanting country made up of over 7,000 islands! The landscape is lush and tropical. The volcanic mountains, dense forests, and colorful coral reefs are home to many unique species of plants and animals found nowhere else in the world. Including, the giant golden-crowned flying fox bat, that has a wingspan of over five feet!
Sadly, over 90% of the rainforests that once covered the islands have disappeared over the last 100 years. Scientists fear that the remaining native forest could soon be lost, along with the plants and animals that live there. Losing rainforest is not only bad for the environment, but also bad for people living in the Philippines and all over the world.
But why are the forests disappearing?
Like many other places in the world, people are cutting down the trees for a number of reasons. Logging, mining, farming and construction are the main reasons that many of the large old growth trees are being cut. Some people in the Philippines are trying to find ways to protect the remaining forests and replant the trees that have disappeared. Scientists and students at the University of the Philippines Los Banos College of Forestry and Natural Resources are experimenting with ways to reforest the barren land quickly. They are replanting native island trees by gathering seeds, grafting, and using clippings from old trees to grow seedlings in nurseries. Preventing forest loss is not easy, but people in the Philippines understand that trees are an important part of their past, present and future.