45 As ‘eco-managers’ of the forest, they are ideally placed at the forefront of efforts to protect, develop and manage the resources in their midst. RCE Cebu conducted a Socio-Demographic Community Survey of Barangay Campo Siete, Minglanilla, Cebu, Philippines. The survey showed that the majority of Campo Siete residents live on marginal income, relying merely on sustenance farming and income from serviceoriented jobs. Most of the respondents who were engaged in farming had started the activity around 1991. Some residents used what little savings they could earn from their harvests as capital for small business activities. Yet still their income is barely enough to meet their basic needs or provide them economic security. Thus, many farmers are enticed to engage in illegal economic activities like slash and burn farming and charcoal making. The low sanitary standards of people living near rivers and creeks also affect the forest, contaminating the water supply in the nearby towns and cities. People also lack the skills and education in sustainable forest use. Undeniably, this situation puts ecological pressure on the forest. Ethnobotanical data was collected from the locals of Campo Siete. A total of 35 interviews were conducted with 27 randomly selected locals and eight pre-consenting local healers and local plant enthusiasts. Plants were categorised according to their uses: food, medicine, cash crops, construction and fuel. Seventy-five plant species were identified belonging to 35 families and 63 genera. The study was the precursor to the overarching theme of RCE Cebu to promote initiatives related to economically and environmentally sustainable cultivation and use of forest resources. With the publication of an ethnobotany booklet based on this study, RCE Cebu hopes to raise awareness on the traditional use of local plants and encourage people to cultivate these plants and use them to contribute to the improvement of their livelihood. Likewise, the study hopes to stimulate more relevant interactions between local knowledge and sustainable development planning. Observations and Reflections Barangay Campo Siete is located at 10.333° N and 123.750° E. The barangay is made of five different sitios (sub-villages) – Campo Siete Proper, Cadulawan, Minaga, Kalbasaan and Lubas. Different sitios have different land terrains. The sitio proper, also known to the locals as Siete is the area near the main road. This area is covered by tall trees and is primarily on a less elevated level. Kadulawan is a more elevated area than the sitio proper and is also covered by trees. Minanga, Lubas and Kalbasaan areas are the farthest areas, where local inhabitants walk by foot around hills and across streams for three or four hours in order to reach their houses. The roads to these areas are not cemented and have limited access to electricity. The residents therefore have difficulty in transporting food and other basic needs in these areas. However, these areas are abundant in plant sources, as some of these areas are not covered by tall trees. Such areas offer a good condition for planting crops. The barangay is rich in water resources, with flowing streams, rivers and tributaries. Water is free in the community and built-in wells and water pumps are provided by the government for communal use. Plant species are abundant because of this abundance in water. Many trees and different types of plants abound. For the purpose of creating a biodiversity register 27 local people from nine sitios from the barangay were interviewed, in addition to eight interviews with previously identified local healers and herbal garden owners. It was observed that there were only a few local healers in the town and these healers do not practice treating diseases as their primary source of income. Most were farmers, 4 The study was the precursor to the overarching theme of RCE Cebu to promote initiatives related to economically and environmentally sustainable cultivation and use of forest resources.
Traditional Knowledge and Biodiversity
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