The Philippines Bans All Logging

The president of the Philippines ordered a logging moratorium Thursday in an effort to protect and stop the destruction of watersheds and river systems in his country, according to GMANews.TV. President Benigno Aquino III signed an executive order despite disapproval from his country's wood industry. A report generated by Aquino's office said 36 people died in 2010 alone in natural disasters that were caused by deforestation in Philippines; three people are missing; 32 have been injured; and 118,728 families have been displaced. Under the executive order, the country's Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will immediately cancel logging concessions, and it cannot issue or renew other concessions. "The DENR is henceforth hereby prohibited [from] issuing logging contracts/agreements in all natural and residual forests, such as Integrated Forest Management Agreements, Socialized Integrated Forest Management Agreements, Community-Based Forest Management Agreement and other agreements/contracts with logging components in natural and residual [forests]," the executive order reads. Also, The DENR will close and disallow sawmills and other wood processing plants that are unable to present proof of sustainable and legal wood sources for a period of at least five years.