Conservation easements, unlike national parks, do generally allow for some economic activity to happen, usually preexisting uses like agriculture and sustainable timber cutting.

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Timber-cutting was blamed for a while, but most commercial tree farms have more fish in their rivers than in those of urban areas.

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"The main objective was to find an alternative income for the local community in the surrounding village and forest, and also relieve the pressure on the forest of people cutting timber, " says project manager Amiri Saidi.

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The Philippines already has laws to prevent the indiscriminate cutting of timber, but they are not properly enforced.

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So, for example, when it comes to forestry, there's nothing wrong with us cutting down some trees for timber, as long as you make sure that it's done in a sequence and is spaced properly so that the forest itself is sustained.

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