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Protecting coastal waters may be the best investment you’ve never heard of, says Kristin Rechberger
Southeast Asia in review: 2024
Philippines hydro boom rips Indigenous communities
Indigenous Filipinos fight to protect biodiverse mountains from mining

Posito Daom, a Pala'wan, pauses on his descent to the lowlands to sell chayote cultivated using the no-till method, a sustainable practice that avoids turning over and disturbing the soil, according to studies.

Indigenous farmers’ hard work protects a Philippine hotspot, but goes overlooked

by Keith Anthony Fabro 16 November 2023
PALAWAN, Philippines — At dawn, a breathtaking orange glow bathes Tatandayan, a secluded sitio, or hamlet, on the slopes of the bioculturally rich Mount Mantalingahan Protected Landscape. Under towering trees…
Posito Daom, a Pala'wan, pauses on his descent to the lowlands to sell chayote cultivated using the no-till method, a sustainable practice that avoids turning over and disturbing the soil, according to studies.
A Philippine duck and ducklings in a wetland in the Philippines.

Half of Philippines’ watersheds unprotected; policies fall short, report says

by Keith Anthony Fabro 25 October 2023
The Philippines’ watersheds are essential for regulating the country’s water supply and quality, supporting ecosystems and mitigating floods and droughts. However, a recent study finds that more than half of…
A Philippine duck and ducklings in a wetland in the Philippines.
Ubre Tiblak taps a tree for resin.

Indigenous community fighting a mine in Palawan wins a milestone legal verdict

by Keith Anthony Fabro 25 September 2023
PALAWAN, Philippines — In a move celebrated as a victory by an Indigenous community that since 2005 has been fighting plans to mine nickel in a protected area, the Philippine…
Ubre Tiblak taps a tree for resin.
Fisherfolk leader Lorene Gabayeron holding fish.

A Philippines NGO project aimed to protect villages from typhoons: What went wrong?

by Keith Anthony Fabro 13 September 2023
CONCEPCION, Philippines — The skies were overcast but intense heat from the sun permeated the salty air one June afternoon on Bagongon, a central Philippines island. As the tide receded,…
Fisherfolk leader Lorene Gabayeron holding fish.
In July 2021, the commercial propagation permit for Malusog Rice was granted, paving the way for its pilot-scale deployment in several provinces a year later.

Is the genetically modified, nutrient-rich Golden Rice as safe as promised?

by Keith Anthony Fabro 11 September 2023
PALAWAN, Philippines — On Aug. 8, 2013, Fernando de Chavez, along with more than 400 farmers and advocates, stormed a Golden Rice field trial site in Pili, a town in…
In July 2021, the commercial propagation permit for Malusog Rice was granted, paving the way for its pilot-scale deployment in several provinces a year later.
A Luzon tarictic hornbill.

Online trade in Philippine hornbills threatens birds and forests

by Jhesset O. Enano 29 August 2023
MANILA – Hornbills in the Philippines already suffer from habitat loss and forest conversion, but the illegal sale of these endangered birds in the online market could further plunge their…
A Luzon tarictic hornbill.
Indigenous farmer Leopoldo Lebuna weeds his lowland farm

In Philippines, climate change tests Indigenous farming like never before

by Keith Anthony Fabro 4 August 2023
ILOILO, Philippines — In the mountainous village of Jayobo in the central Philippines, internet and mobile connectivity are spotty. The nearest town center is an hour's drive along a rough,…
Indigenous farmer Leopoldo Lebuna weeds his lowland farm
The Manobo Houses float along the waterways of Lake Panlabuhan in the Agusan Marsh.

Philippines’ largest freshwater wetland and Indigenous livelihoods face multiple threats

by Jewel S. Cabrera 26 July 2023
LOS BAÑOS, Philippines — Built on wooden stilts and tied to endemic bangkal trees (Nauclea orientalis) are the homes of the Manobo Indigenous tribe, seemingly floating on the waters of…
The Manobo Houses float along the waterways of Lake Panlabuhan in the Agusan Marsh.
Rafflesia flower.

Philippines research offers hope for conserving enigmatic Rafflesia plants

by Mikael Angelo S. Francisco 3 July 2023
Found only in Southeast Asian rainforests, the Rafflesia genus produces the world’s largest flowers. Their prodigious size is no small feat, considering that Rafflesia possess neither roots, leaves nor stems.…
Rafflesia flower.
Elder women members of the Kiday Farmers Community Association' proudly show a variety of heirloom seeds they store to support organic farmers in their riverside hamlet in Quezon province.

Organic farming, and community spirit, buoy a typhoon-battered Philippine town

by Keith Anthony Fabro 15 May 2023
KIDAY, Philippines — Gloomy skies don’t dampen the spirit of Virginia Nazareno as she happily waters organic vegetables on an April morning in Kiday, a sitio or hamlet on the…
Elder women members of the Kiday Farmers Community Association' proudly show a variety of heirloom seeds they store to support organic farmers in their riverside hamlet in Quezon province.

Philippines a global hotspot for giant clams — and their illegal trade

by Keith Anthony Fabro 10 May 2023
The Philippines, a hotspot of marine biodiversity, has emerged as the global epicenter of an illicit trade in giant clams that threatens the survival of these massive sea creatures. According…
Aerial image of Tinipak River.

‘It gives life’: Philippine tribe fights to save a sacred river from a dam

by Keith Anthony Fabro 9 May 2023
DARAITAN, Philippines — Members of the Indigenous Dumagat-Remontado, young and old alike, stood out against the greenery in their traditional red loincloth and tapis. On a scorching Good Friday morning,…
Aerial image of Tinipak River.
Victor Emata, a SEAMANCOR-trained tour guide, rowing a boat.

A Philippine town and its leaders show how mangrove restoration can succeed

by Mavic Conde 4 May 2023
PRIETO DIAZ, Philippines — Working quietly before a bucket of rabbitfish, known locally as danggit, two women precisely cut open each fish with square knives, gutting and deboning before repeating…
Victor Emata, a SEAMANCOR-trained tour guide, rowing a boat.
The cat-sized Philippine palm civet (Paradoxurus philippinensis).

Philippine tribe boosts livelihoods and conservation with civet poop coffee

by Bong S. Sarmiento 18 April 2023
MINDANAO, Philippines — For about two decades now, members of the B’laan ethnic group have combed the forest-clad slopes of Mount Matutum from September to January, seeking out the beans…
The cat-sized Philippine palm civet (Paradoxurus philippinensis).
A 200-square-meter (2,150-square-foot) small-scale floating solar photovoltaic pilot project in Los Baños, Laguna

Floating solar project on Philippines natural lake brings hope — and questions

by Jewel S. Cabrera 10 April 2023
Boats and water hyacinths aren’t the only ones floating in the Philippines’ Laguna Lake. In some areas of Los Baños and Bay, small-scale floating solar photovoltaic (FPV) installations can be…
A 200-square-meter (2,150-square-foot) small-scale floating solar photovoltaic pilot project in Los Baños, Laguna
A Philippine eagle with its solar powered GPS tracker harnessed on its back.

New map boosts Philippine eagle population estimate, but highlights threats

by Keith Anthony Fabro 14 March 2023
The Philippine eagle, the archipelagic nation's iconic, endemic apex predator, has been declared threatened with extinction for nearly three decades. Yet despite its status as the national bird, little is…
A Philippine eagle with its solar powered GPS tracker harnessed on its back.
A sea turtle in Philippine coral reefs.

China-funded bridge threatens Paradise Reef in southern Philippines

by Bong S. Sarmiento 7 March 2023
SAMAL ISLAND, Philippines — Its official name, the Island Garden City of Samal, tells you all you need to know about this bucolic township off the coast of the southern…
A sea turtle in Philippine coral reefs.
Michellejean with a GPS device with elders in the forest.

Indigenous youths keep ancient forestry traditions alive in the Philippines

by Keith Anthony Fabro 6 March 2023
Michellejean Pinuhan, an Indigenous Higaonon, completed her bachelor’s degree in agriculture entrepreneurship in 2022. Then, instead of working in the city after graduation, she chose to return to her roots…
Michellejean with a GPS device with elders in the forest.
A butterflyfish in a coral reef.

Reef ruckus: Fish fights erupt after mass coral bleaching, study finds

by Carolyn Cowan 1 March 2023
As mass coral bleaching events grow in frequency and intensity, scientists are finding out more about how corals, which make up the physical foundation of reefs, respond during times of…
A butterflyfish in a coral reef.
Ann Dumaliang.

Saving Masungi, a last green corridor of the Philippines: Q&A with Ann Dumaliang

by Jewel S. Cabrera 9 February 2023
“A lot of people talk about conservation in terms of theory, in terms of simply what is shown in books; but it’s another thing to experience a place and to…
Ann Dumaliang.
A narcissus flycatcher.

For Philippines’ unprotected hotspots, new conservation window beckons

by Keith Anthony Fabro 9 January 2023
After hours of wading through raging rivers and braving the steep, slippery slopes of the Victoria-Anepahan Mountain Range (VAMR) on a rainy morning in October 2022, wildlife specialist Aubrey Jayne…
A narcissus flycatcher.
A Philippine pangolin hangs on to a branch.

For Philippine pangolins, tourism’s return could spell trouble

by Keith Anthony Fabro 12 December 2022
As the Philippines travel and tourism industry bounces back from the coronavirus pandemic, wildlife trade analysts are anticipating a resurgence in the poaching of the country's endemic pangolin. The enigmatic…
A Philippine pangolin hangs on to a branch.
Sitio Paho, Pala’wan Indigenous leader Mami Lapasan, carrying a heavy load of almaciga resin.

A Philippine resin trade proves sustainable for forests, but not tappers

by Keith Anthony Fabro 30 November 2022
Mount Mantalingahan, PHILIPPINES —Ubre Tiblak can vividly remember the day he fell coming down the mountain. It was a rainy afternoon in June 2015, and the 66-kilogram (145-pound) pack on…
Sitio Paho, Pala’wan Indigenous leader Mami Lapasan, carrying a heavy load of almaciga resin.
Temporary shelters.

Deadly landslides prompt Philippine president to call for tree planting

by Bong S. Sarmiento 9 November 2022
MINDANAO, Philippines – In the wake of deadly floods and landslides caused by Typhoon Nalgae last month, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered tree planting be included in flood…
Temporary shelters.
Two young boys farming.

To get young Filipinos into farming, initiatives reach them via TikTok, school

by Janine Peralta 27 October 2022
In the Philippines’ southern island of Mindanao, 12-year-old Raaina Hinay teaches people how to farm. Hinay is a co-founder of Kids Who Farm, an NGO based in the city of…
Two young boys farming.
A feral Moluccan cockatoo.

Survey finds thriving online market for Indonesian birds in Philippines

by Danielle Keeton-Olsen 26 October 2022
Protected by law but threatened by trade, rare and endangered parrots native to Indonesia are frequently sold via Facebook in the Philippines, a new survey has found. The analysis of…
A feral Moluccan cockatoo.
Activists and Indigenous peoples holding a protest.

Southern Philippine coal project moves ahead despite community opposition

by Bong S. Sarmiento 18 October 2022
MINDANAO, Philippines — In the remote mountain village of Ned, on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, the arrival of heavy machinery signals that development is underway on a controversial,…
Activists and Indigenous peoples holding a protest.
Tampakan government employees close a facility belonging to Sagittarius Mines, Inc.

Activists welcome decision to revoke permit for controversial Philippine gold mine

by Bong S. Sarmiento 21 September 2022
TAMPAKAN, Philippines — In a move celebrated by anti-mining activists, local officials in the southern Philippine municipality of Tampakan have canceled the business permit for a controversial copper and gold…
Tampakan government employees close a facility belonging to Sagittarius Mines, Inc.
Seaweeds are harvested and dried.

Seaweed an increasingly fragile lifeline for Philippine farmers

by Keith Anthony Fabro 1 September 2022
Balintang, PHILIPPINES — “Seaweeds are important to me because they give me joy when we plant them,” says Melinda Gimotea, as she crouches down among the pile of seaweed seedlings…
Seaweeds are harvested and dried.
Fishers in a boat in the Malampaya Sound mangroves.

Healthy mangroves build a resilient community in the Philippines’ Palawan

by Keith Anthony Fabro 29 August 2022
PALAWAN, Philippines — In the middle of the brackish water of Malampaya Sound in the Philippines’ Palawan province, Panchito Calamare stands on an outrigger fishing boat one drizzling May morning,…
Fishers in a boat in the Malampaya Sound mangroves.

Study: Climate impacts to disproportionately hurt tropical fishers, farmers

by Basten Gokkon 15 July 2022
JAKARTA — Coastal communities in the tropics that rely heavily on both agriculture and fisheries are most vulnerable to the losses caused by high global carbon emissions, a new study…
Young people at Macatumbalen are trained by their parents to co-manage the community nursery where the tree seedlings are grown and regularly watered.

Devastated by a typhoon, community foresters in the Philippines find little support

by Keith Anthony Fabro 23 May 2022
PALAWAN, Philippines — On a dreary April day, agroforestry worker Jimmy Tablason frowns in the sweltering heat as he trudges through the ruins of forests protected for decades by his…
Young people at Macatumbalen are trained by their parents to co-manage the community nursery where the tree seedlings are grown and regularly watered.
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