Day 15 – SDG 15: Life on Land

A swimming pool rises beneath the Chocolate Hills in Bohol. A mountain in Davao Oriental is stripped for nickel mining. Forests in Palawan disappear hectare by hectare. Before a forest becomes a statistic, it is a home.

The Philippines is known as one of the world’s megadiverse countries, yet its forests and natural ecosystems continue to disappear. As the trees are cut down, nests become empty, insects disappear, streams grow dry, and the roots that hold the soil together are lost. The sounds of wildlife are replaced by the noise of machines and urban transportation.

Everything can begin with the cutting of one tree—but the silence that follows can affect millions of lives. There is a saying: “When you destroy the environment, you destroy everything that depends on it.” Approximately one-third of Filipinos depend on natural resources for their livelihoods. When forests, rivers, and mountains are damaged, everyone is affected—but poor and vulnerable communities often suffer the most because they have fewer resources to recover.

When forests are cleared, animals lose their homes, communities face greater risks of floods and landslides, and the land slowly loses its ability to support life. A tree may look like a simple part of the landscape, but it provides shade, clean air, protection from floods, and shelter for countless species.The land is speaking. The question is whether we are listening.

When one forest disappears, an entire web of life is placed at risk. According to forest-monitoring data from the World Resources Institute and Global Forest Watch show that the world lost approximately 4.3 million hectares of tropical primary rainforest in 2025. This global crisis is also visible in our country. Philippines lost approximately 1.42 million hectares of tree cover between 2001 and 2022, leaving only about 24% of the country’s land area under forest cover. Other forest-monitoring data also recorded the loss of approximately 32,000 hectares of natural forest in 2025.

These numbers represent more than trees. They represent habitats, livelihoods, clean water, climate resilience, and protection for future generations.The question is not whether we need forests. We do. We need them for life itself—for wildlife, climate resilience, livelihoods, clean water, and protection from natural disasters.

At Colegio de Kidapawan, Inc., SDG 15 reminds us that human life depends on healthy land and recognize the interconnected world that forests, mountains, rivers, soil, animals, and people sustain. A forest is not merely timber. A mountain is not merely land. Soil is not merely dirt. They are life—and our future is rooted in them.