These are the forest cover maps of 2002 in the Philippine uplands (1:250,000) that ESSC developed and are now available for download. Now that this initial work is done, the next steps are to develop from this benchmark the next set of more recent forest cover updates and to focus on the ground where specific actions can be designed and implemented.

Download the maps here .

Some of the factors that contribute to a lack of confidence in the data are the over-all veracity of the information vis-à-vis public knowledge, the weak documentation of the process and methods employed in arriving at the outputs, and the absence of proper validation data to support the outputs.

The current ESSC project on assessing the upland cover of the Philippines is trying to address these weaknesses by employing a methodological framework for arriving at the results, a clear technical documentation of process, and a proper forum for public presentation and validation.

These 2002 forest cover updates in upland areas of the Philippines are now available online and which will be the basis to proceed to a 2010 update.