Republic Act No.

8435 December 22, 1997

AN ACT PRESCRIBING URGENT RELATED MEASURES TO MODERNIZE THE

AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES SECTORS OF THE COUNTRY IN ORDER TO
ENHANCE THEIR PROFITABILITY, AND PREPARE SAID SECTORS FOR THE
CHALLENGES OF THE GLOBALIZATION THROUGH AN ADEQUATE, FOCUSED
AND RATIONAL DELIVERY OF NECESSARY SUPPORT SERVICES,
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Section 9. Delineation of Strategic Agriculture and Fisheries Development

Zones.

The Department, in consultation:

1. Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR)

2. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)
3. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)
4. Department of Science and Technology (DOST)
5. the concerned LGU's
6. the organized farmers and fisher folk groups
7. the private sector and communities

shall without prejudice to the development of identified economic zones and free ports,
establish and delineate based on sound resource accounting, the SAFDZ within
one (1) year from the effectivity of this Act.

The following shall not be converted for a period of five years from the effectivity
of the Act:

1. All irrigated lands

2. irrigable lands already covered by irrigation a projects with firm funding
commitments
3. and lands with existing or having the potential for growing high-value crops so
delineated and included within the SAFDZ

XPN:

1. That not more than five percent (5%) of the said lands located within the SAFDZ
may be converted

2. That thereafter
a. 1) a review of the SAFDZ,
i. productivity of the areas,
ii. improvement of the quality of life of farmers and fisher folk,
 iii. and efficiency and defectiveness of the support services
b. conversion may be allowed, if in accordance with the law
c. in case of conversion, land owners- pay the Department the amount
equivalent to the government's investment cost including inflation.

Section 10. Preparation of Land Use and Zoning Ordinance.

Within one (1) year from the finalization of the SAFDZ, in all cities and municipalities

all land use plans and zoning ordinances shall be updated every four (4) years or
as often as may be deemed necessary upon the recommendation of the Housing
and Land Use Regulatory Board and must be completed within the first year of
the term of office of the mayor.

Failure to comply: DILG shall impose the penalty as provided for under Republic Act
No.7160

Section 11. Penalty for Agricultural Inactivity and Premature Conversion.

1. To make an agricultural land be idle for one year.

1. Any person or juridical entity

2. knowingly or deliberately causes any irrigated agricultural lands seven
(7) hectares or larger, (contiguous or not)
3. to lie idle and unproductive for a period exceeding one (1) year,

XPN: unless due to force majeure,

Penalty:

idle land tax of Three Thousand Pesos (P3,000.00) per hectare per year.

to put back such lands to productive agricultural use.

Should the continued agricultural inactivity, unless due to force majeure, exceed
a period of two (2) years, the land shall be subject to escheat proceedings.

2. Guilty of premature or illegal conversion

Penalty:

1. with imprisonment of two (2) to six (6) years,

 2. or a fine equivalent to one hundred percent (100%) of the government's
investment cost, or both, at the discretion of the court,
3. and an accessory penalty of forfeiture of the land and any improvement
thereon.

In addition, the DAR may impose the following penalties, after determining, in an
administrative proceedings, that violation of this law has been committed:

a. Consolation or withdrawal of the authorization for land use conversion; and

b. Backlisting, or automatic disapproval of pending and subsequent conversion

applications that they may file with the DAR.

Section 12. Protection of Watershed Areas. - All watersheds that are sources of
water for existing and potential irrigable areas and recharge areas of major aquifers
identified by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Environment and
Natural resources shall be preserved as such at all times.

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9147 July 30, 2001

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE CONSERVATION AND PROTECTION OF WILDLIFE

RESOURCES AND THEIR HABITATS, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND
FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Section 2. Declaration of Policy. It shall be the policy of the State to conserve the
country's wildlife resources and their habitats for sustainability. In the pursuit of this
policy, this Act shall have the following objectives:

(a) to conserve and protect wildlife species and their habitats to promote ecological
balance and enhance biological diversity;

(b) to regulate the collection and trade of wildlife;

(c) to pursue, with due regard to the national interest, the Philippine commitment to
international conventions, protection of wildlife and their habitats; and

(d) to initiate or support scientific studies on the conservation of biological diversity.

Section 3. Scope of Application.

1. enforceable for all wildlife species found in all areas of the country,
 2. exotic species which are subject to trade, are cultured, maintained and/or bred
in captivity or propagated in the country.

Section 4. Jurisdiction of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and

the Department of Agriculture.

(DENR): JURISDICTION

1. over all terrestrial plant and animal species

2. all turtles and tortoises and wetland species, including but not limited to crocodiles,
waterbirds and all amphibians and dugong.
3. The Department of Agriculture (DA) - aquatic critical habitats, all aquatic
resources except dugong. The secretaries of the DENR and the DA shall review,
and by joint administrative order, revise and regularly update the list of species
under their respective jurisdiction. In the Province of Palawan, jurisdiction herein
conferred is vested to the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development pursuant
to Republic Act No. 7611.

Section 5. Definition of Terms. As used in the Act, the term:

(a) "Bioprospecting" means the research, collection and utilization of biological and
genetic resources for purposes of applying the knowledge derived there from solely for
commercial purposes;

(f) "Critically endangered species" refers to a species or subspecies that is facing

extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future;
(h) "Endangered species" refers to species or subspecies that is not critically
endangered but whose survival in the wild is unlikely if the causal factors continue
operating;
(s) "Threatened species" a general term to denote species or subspecies considered as
critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable or other accepted categories of
wildlife whose population is at risk of extinction;
(w) "Vulnerable species" refers to species or subspecies that is not critically endangered
nor endangered but is under threat from adverse factors throughout their range and is
likely to move to the endangered category in the near future;

Section 27. Illegal Acts. - Unless otherwise allowed in accordance with this Act, it shall
be unlawful for any person to willfully and knowingly exploit wildlife resources and their
habitats, or undertake the following acts;
(a) killing and destroying wildlife species, except in the following instances;

(i) when it is done as part of the religious rituals of established tribal groups or
indigenous cultural communities;

(ii) when the wildlife is afflicted with an incurable communicable disease;

(iii) when it is deemed necessary to put an end to the misery suffered by the
wildlife;

(iv) when it is done to prevent an imminent danger to the life or limb of a human
being; and

(v) when the wildlife is killed or destroyed after it has been used in authorized
research or experiments.

(b) inflicting injury which cripples and/or impairs the reproductive system of wildlife
species;

(c) effecting any of the following acts in critical habitat(s)

(i) dumping of waste products detrimental to wildlife;

(ii) squatting or otherwise occupying any portion of the critical habitat;

(iii) mineral exploration and/or extraction;

(iv) burning;

(v) logging; and

(vi) quarrying

(d) introduction, reintroduction or restocking of wildlife resources;

(e) trading of wildlife;

(f) collecting, hunting or possessing wildlife, their by-products and derivatives;

(g) gathering or destroying of active nests, nest trees, host plants and the like;

(h) maltreating and/or inflicting other injuries not covered by the preceding paragraph;
and

(i) transporting of wildlife.