Enrico L. Replan
Abstract
The Sustainable Forest Land Management Agreement (SFLMA), introduced under recent policy reforms, aims to streamline forest tenure and promote sustainable utilization of forestlands in the Philippines. This paper examines how the implementation of SFLMA may unintentionally intensify the conversion of remaining natural forests into agroforestry and plantation systems based on historical outcomes. Since Department Administrative Order (DAO) 2025-22, issued by Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), formally authorizes these areas for agroforestry and plantation development and given that similar tenure frameworks (e.g., IFMA and CBFMA) facilitated the conversion of natural forests into production landscapes, the policy risks accelerating the replacement of remaining native forests and compromising biodiversity and critical ecosystem functions. The objective of this perspective is to assess the ecological and faunal implications of replacing unmanaged forests with production-oriented land uses and to identify science-based safeguards to prevent irreversible habitat degradation. The analysis draws from comparative observations of forest structure, ecological processes, and faunal assemblages in natural versus managed systems, combined with policy review and expert ecological reasoning. Findings suggest that the simplification of natural habitats under mixed-use tenures can lead to habitat fragmentation, decline of forest-dependent fauna, and weakening of hydrological and carbon-regulating processes. Furthermore, governance gaps, such as the absence of ecological baselines, and biodiversity performance indicators, such as species richness trends (e.g., biodiversity value) or habitat condition indices, may enable unsustainable management practices despite compliance with formal reforestation targets. The paper concludes that while SFLMA presents opportunities for rationalized management and investment, its sustainability depends on incorporating rigorous ecological baselines, independent monitoring, and protection of high-conservation-value forests. Strengthening science-based safeguards and community participation is essential to ensure that SFLMA contributes to long-term ecosystem resilience rather than the further loss of the country’s remaining natural forests.