10 trees for a diploma: in the Philippines, all schoolchildren were required to plant trees

The Philippines, like many other countries in Southeast Asia, has lost a significant part of its forest resources in recent decades. The rainforest with its unique species diversity of animals and plants suffers from illegal logging. In order to at least somehow make up for the losses and stabilize the situation, the Philippine authorities passed an unusual law that obliges every graduate of a higher educational institution, college and student to plant 10 trees before receiving a diploma.

The law separately states that the relevant forest services will deal with the cultivation and preparation of seedlings, as well as transport issues related to planting. Pupils and students can only go to the place and participate in the process of planting, which in itself, of course, is not so difficult. The initiators of the new bill believe that 175 million trees will be planted each year with the help of the younger generation in the Philippines.

Today, only 50% of the country's territory is covered by tropical forests, but only a fraction of them are natural plantings. Since the economy of the Philippines is highly dependent on the agricultural sector, new territories for agricultural plantations are regularly allocated in the country. This small island nation with a population of more than 100 million people is a leading exporter of coconuts, rice and bananas in the region, which are grown on the site of the existing rainforests. But part of the trees disappeared, not for the development of agriculture, but as a result of illegal logging. The situation with the tropical forests of the Philippines is a serious concern for scientists, because the islands are a unique place on the planet in terms of biodiversity and endemicity of local species. Do not forget that the Philippine forests are not only a national treasure, but also protection from powerful tropical cyclones. It is the mangrove forests that are located on the coast that take the first blow of the elements and help minimize damage.

In addition to the adoption of the new law, the country's authorities have already done a lot to restore the forest fund. Over the past decade, a system of control over illegal logging has been established, which successfully operates on large islands.