Fernandez, Joanna Lynne M.

May 17, 2015

Bio 164 Response Paper

Critique to the Ong-Magalit 1987 paper

The Philippines is known to have a very rich biodiversity be it in forests or under the
oceans. Truly enough, we Filipinos have been very lucky to have all these resources just at the
corner. Unfortunately, we sometimes forget that these resources are not here forever.
Deforestation has been one of the major threats faced by the environment. Different Philippine
regimes have passed and yet this major problem still exists. Various conservation efforts have
been proposed and implemented and yet here we are still suffering from the consequences of
denuded forests. If only we dont rely much on the government on these issues, then there will
be hope for the forests of the country. If only we, the Filipino citizens, learn to take care of the
environment and just for a second not think of our selves, then there will be a bright future
ahead of us.
Theres no denying that the topic is really important and concerns the whole country in
general. With all the threats being thrown at conservation efforts, how can we as a country really
move forward? As highlighted by the paper, the political, economic, social, cultural, scientific,
and military conditions of the country play vital roles in wildlife conservation. If these basic
premises are already problematic, then how can we expect to be successful? Also, the technical
problems faced by these conservation efforts really need to be given attention. Funds should be
allocated for such projects to have proper execution hence allowing a better chance of success
in conservation. Another important thing when doing conservation projects, it is important that
the people involved are those who have expertise on the subject and have the proper training
on the subject.
Personally, I think that the most important factor to have successful conservation efforts
is the support from the public. Like, who else do you expect to solve these problems that we
made/inflicted ourselves? Again, I am thankful that I have stayed long enough in this institute
that I have come to realize how important the nature and its resources really are. But like the
paper asked, can we really convince peasants not to cut trees for their firewood? Can we
convince them to not hunt animals when they go hungry? Will we let our countrymen die of
hunger just to save animal and plant species? Surely enough, there will be different opinions
and reactions on these ethical issues but from what I know and what Ive been taught,
conservation is a must. Again, we humans need to not just think of our selves even for a
moment. We are not the only lives that make up this world. In fact, we depend greatly on other
living species for our survival. As part of this complex system of life on Earth, we have to make
sure that other species get to live as well and have a brighter future. If only all these are put into
consideration by most of the people then Id think no one will bother to try overexplioting any
species. I may be totally wrong or it is just me being greatly optimistic about our situation, but
you cant really blame me for having such high hopes.