Transforming Interaction of the Local People with the Uplands: A Case Study in Southeastern Nueva Ecija, Central Luzon

Abstract

Deforestation in the Philippine uplands occurred so rapidly that numerous attempts have been made to elucidate its major causes. The landless and the small-scale farmers in the lowlands have been regarded as the direct actor that expedited deforestation through their forest resource exploitation and forest land cultivation. Little attention, however, has been given as to how environmental changes, dwindling forest resources in particular, have affected the survival strategies of these economically poor people. This paper aims to examine the interrelationships between the diminishing forest resources and survival strategies of the local people, putting emphasis on the landless. It was revealed that forest resource exploitation and forest land cultivation have supported their household economy considerably. In transforming upland landscapes, however, the role of their activities was less significant compared with that of logging activities conducted by enterprises and of grazing activities owned by local elite. It was also revealed that dwindling forest resources did not seriously affect the livelihoods of the landless. They were able to cope with this environmental change through investments, enabling them to possess tangible and/or intangible assets and diversifying income generating activities by household members. The advent of cash crops with a high market value changed the upland landscapes from grasslands to crop fields, which led to the establishment of de facto land ownership. This, however, would not ensure their engagement in sustainable upland cultivation, as most of the landless are not seeking cultivation land per se but securing opportunities for survival. They do not consider grasslands as complete waste lands, as this contributes to their household economy to some extent. The government's effort to rehabilitate the grass-covered uplands through empowering the local residents will be in vain unless they are given economic incentives along with an understanding of the significance of the grasslands.