Cavite’s land resources are categorized into two: forest lands and alienable and disposable lands. Forest lands are being maintained as they play a great role for the ecological balance of the Province aside from the fact that they are home to numerous flora and fauna that needs to be protected and preserved. Correspondingly, the alienable and disposable lands are the built-up areas as well as production areas. These lands are intended for urban, economic and demographic developments.
Forest Lands
Cavite Province lies in the western monsoon forest zone. This location is very beneficial for the formation of tropical rainforests which are characteristically made through natural vegetation. In 2007, the existing for estarea within the province totalled to 8,624.956 hectares. These forest areas were categorized as Protected Landscape under R.A.7586 otherwise known as National Integrated Protected Area System (NIPAS) and the unclassified forest (Non-N I P A S ) . By virtue of Proclamation Number 1594 on 26 October 1976, a total of 4,000 hectares located in Ternate and Maragondon, Cavite was proclaimed as national park, now known as the Mts. Palay-Palay and Mataas na Gulod Protected Landscape. The park lies in the border of Cavite and Batangas and has three peaks, Palay-Palay, Pico de Loro and Mataas na Gulod. Still, there were five (5) unclassified forests found along Tagaytay Ridge, Maragondon, Magallanes, Ternate and Alfonso . With regards to the records of mountains, seven were named such as Pico de Loro, Mt. Palay-Palay, Mt. Buntis, Mt. Mataas na Gulod, Mt. Nagpatong, Mt. Hulog and Mt. Gonzales.
The richness of Cavite’s forest provides the abundance of different forest products. Grass in nature, bamboo, is one of the most available forest products being found in the municipalities of Ternate, Magallanes , Maragondon and General Aguinaldo throughout the year.
Alienable and Disposable Lands
These lands are being used in various ways, either for agriculture , residences, open areas, etc. These actual uses are termed as land-u s e .
Based on the Cavite Provincial Physical Framework Plan 2005-2010, Cavite’s alienable and disposable lands are further classified into production lands and built-up areas. Production lands in Cavite are intended for agriculture, fishery and mining. On the other hand, built-up areas are mainly for residential areas, commercial , industrial and tourism areas.
Production Land-Use
Majority of production land-use is into agriculture. Considering that 50.33% of the total provincial land area is engaged into agriculture, it can be generalized that in spite of rapid urbanization in the province, Cavite remains to have an agricultural economy that makes food security attainable. Some of the major crops being produced in the province are rice, corn, coffee, coconuts, cutflowers and vegetables.
Included in the agricultural land use are livestock farms that range from piggeries, poultries, goat farms and cattle farms. The climatic suitability of Cavite makes the province ideal for integrated farming, having crops and livestock rising in one farm.
Fishery is also another major component of the agricultural sector. Having rich marine resources and long coastlines, the province is home to numerous fishery activities . This industry has provided livelihood to many Caviteños. In some lowland and even upland areas, fishery, in the form of fish ponds are also producing considerable amount of fish products. Some areas in Cavite are also engaged in fish processing and production of fish products like fish sauce.
Mining is the third component of production land-use in the province. As of 2009, there are 15 mining and quarrying areas operating in Cavite. Extraction includes filling materials, gravel and sand.
Built-up Areas
The built-up areas are mainly composed of residential and industrial sites. This also includes commercial and business areas where commerce is transpiring. According to the 2007 Census of Population and Housing by the National Statistics Office, there are 611,450 occupied housing units in Cavite.
Moreover, according to the Housing and Land-Use Regulatory Board, there are around 1,224 housing subdivisions with issued license to sell in the province until 2009 which occupies an area of 9,471 hectares.
Meanwhile, the industrial sector also develops rapidly in the Province. For 2009, operational industrial estates cover around 2,939 hectares. Tourism establishments are also considered built-up areas such as golf courses, leisure farms, resorts and the likes.
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