Samenvatting

Within the Philippines Forest Conversion (Kaingin) and charcoal production are still two majors problems which threaten the last remaining patches of rainforest that have survived the destructive patterns of the last 50 years of intensive large-scale forestry management. In particular the island of Palawan is a safe haven, because development only started since the last 30 years due to its isolation. With a rainforest cover of at least 40% in the total Region this island is also called ’’The Last Frontier’’(Bagadion, 2008). Although it seems that this region has a never ending supply of natural resources also on this island the environmental threats can be noticed on an increasing scale. The municipality of Puerto Princesa has the largest stretch of rainforest in Palawan and is motivated to protect this natural beauty. In particular charcoal production and forest conversion are influential causes of the decline in this region which the local government tries to tackle. But before effective policies can be developed, research needs to be done on the present situation of the problems. For this research the North-West site of Puerto Princesa was chosen as study site to determine the impact of these two problems.