Help Save Sierra Madre; Help Save Philippines; Help Save Mother Earth

The Backbone of Luzon.
Sierra Madre Mountain Range is the longest mountain range in the Philippines.  It contains the largest remaining tract of old-growth tropical rain forest in the Philippines which is about 1.4 million hectares of forest, representing 40% of the country’s forest cover. It covers 10 provinces and stands proudly at 6,069 feet.

It is a home to hundreds of wildlife species, many of which are unique to the Philippines, including the Philippine eagle and golden crowned flying fox. It is not only rich in species diversity and endemism, but also home, pharmacy and more importantly a sacred ground and cathedral to many indigenous people.

It is one of the major drivers of the Philippine economy for its watersheds provide services that supports a lot of infrastructures including dams that irrigates and gives water to the thousands of hectares of farm lands specially in NCR and Cagayan Valley region. It serves as a typhoon barrier, attenuating incoming typhoons from the Pacific Ocean before reaching the central mainland.

The Sierra Madre mountain range forest habitat is threatened by human activities. Human activities like illegal logging, mining, conversion of forest for agriculture, and migration.

It is continuously experiencing forest degradation despite the national and international campaign to preserve the environment. 

In addition, human activities like timber poaching, mining, conversion of forests for agriculture, and migration as well as development, particularly, road construction that will improve access and subsequent potential for exploitation of the area and proposed construction of more dams will surely destroy the mountain ranges.

By the corruption, poor implementation  of environmental and forest laws and lack of alternative livelihood for many poor people contribute to its continued degradation.

Human Activities:
1. Illegal logging 

2. Mining - members of save Sierra Madre Network Alliance (SSMNA) raise concern about the extractive operation in the environment and public of gold mining activity.

3. Infrastructure of dam

The present construction of Kaliwa Dam where it destroys the backbone of the Philippines is not a good move for the government. It will surely supply many places specifically in NCR but many people will suffer when typhoons will hit our country. This mountain ranges serves as a barrier since before the typhoon reaches different regions, it will be slowed down or the impact of it will be reduced because it hit the Sierra Madre first. 

Solution:
- Support the government campaigns to stop illegal logging.
- Join a government program about tree planting.
- Support any campaigns to stop forest conversion for agriculture and infrastructures.
- Support the advocates in saving Sierra Madre.

- Empower the local village and valley communities to maintain the natural environment of the mountains

- Giving information/ information dissemination through giving leaflets and film viewing activity about the bad effects of illegal logging and deforestation.

- Conduct commercial campaigns of how to preserve the natural resources and beauty of Sierra Madre.
- Support the tree planting activity of advocates who aims to save Sierra Madre.
- Information dissemination through the help of DENR.

Help Save Sierra Madre; Help Save Philippines; Help Save Mother Earth