Indigenous Biodiversity Conservation Practices in the Philippines

Indigenous communities in the Philippines play a vital role in safeguarding biodiversity through traditional knowledge, sustainable practices, and community-led stewardship. The following locally grounded interventions reflect both time-honored customs and contemporary strategies aligned with national and global conservation goals.

The following are the recommended local-level interventions:

1. Promoting Sustainable Use of Biodiversity Resources

• Encourage traditional ecological practices, such as rotational farming, seed saving, and the cultivation of herbal medicine.
• Example: Dumagat communities in Rizal practice Natural Agriculture using heirloom seeds and zero agrochemicals to protect forest ecosystems.

2. Empowering Local Residents to Protect Forests

• Train indigenous youth and elders in forest monitoring, wildlife protection, and community patrols.
• Example: The Philippine ICCA Project supports indigenous-led conservation in ancestral domains, covering over 150,000 hectares.

3. Demarcating Agricultural and Forest Zones

• Launch community mapping initiatives to define boundaries and prevent encroachment.
• Example: UNDP and NCIP have helped 17 IP communities delineate forest zones and document traditional land use systems.

4. Supporting Individual/Family Forest Stewardship

• Recognize and formalize family-managed forest plots within ancestral domains.
• Example: The Ayta of Maporac in Zambales manage sacred forest areas through customary laws and rituals.

5. Restoring Degraded Areas Through Community Action

• Mobilize local groups for reforestation, agroforestry, and watershed rehabilitation.
• Example: In Nueva Vizcaya, the Ikalahan/Kalanguya IPs restored degraded lands using native species and cultural planting practices.

6. Instilling the Value of Sustainability

• Integrate biodiversity ethics into local education, rituals, and storytelling.
• Example: The IPBSAP (Indigenous Peoples Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan) promotes intergenerational transmission of conservation values.

7. Conducting Biodiversity Awareness Campaigns

• Utilize local languages and media to underscore the global importance of biodiversity.
• Example: The “Be Part of the Plan” campaign by UNDP emphasizes IP inclusion in achieving the 30x30 global biodiversity targets.

8. Educating on Controlled Burning Practices

• Share indigenous fire management techniques that prevent wildfires and support ecological balance.
• Example: Some IP communities use seasonal, low-intensity burns to regenerate grasslands and prevent invasive species.

Issues and Challenges in Biodiversity Conservation in Indigenous Lands

1. Overexploitation of Natural Resources

Continuous harvesting of preferred tree species, such as narra, molave, and dipterocarps, for construction, furniture, and handicrafts has led to population decline and habitat loss. This is amplified by population growth and market demand.

    Example: The harvesting of narra trees in the ancestral lands of the Tagbanua in Palawan has impacted both biodiversity and cultural traditions.

2. Land Use Alteration for Agriculture

Forests are often cleared for upland farming, including slash-and-burn methods. While traditional practices allowed natural regeneration, increased clearing without rest periods disrupts ecological succession.

    Example: In parts of the Cordillera, expanding agricultural plots have fragmented mossy forest habitats vital for endemic bird species.

3. Forest Fires from Agricultural Clearing

Fires may unintentionally spread during land clearing, especially during dry months. These fires harm species in grasslands and young forest stands undergoing recovery.

    Example: Forest fire outbreaks in Bukidnon have affected ancestral land areas of the Talaandig and damaged key seedling zones.

4. Limited Knowledge of Biodiversity’s Global Role

Some community members are more aware of biodiversity’s local uses than its broader ecological functions (e.g., carbon sequestration, climate regulation). Information campaigns exist but often lack reach and depth.

    Example: A study in Bicol revealed that fewer than half of surveyed upland farmers could identify biodiversity's role in flood and climate resilience.

5. Weak Capacity of Barangay Governance

Local officials often lack the budget, training, and manpower to enforce biodiversity laws, even when policies are in place at national or regional levels.

    Example: In Mindoro, environmental ordinances protecting tamaraw habitats remain unimplemented due to staffing and logistical constraints.

 6. Absence of Sustainable Livelihoods

Without reliable income sources, many residents rely on forest resources for food, fuel, and cash crops, leading to pressure on flora and fauna.

    Example: Communities near Mt. Hamiguitan have begun ecotourism and agroforestry programs to reduce dependency on extraction.

Causes of Biodiversity Loss in Indigenous Lands in the Philippines

 1. Logging and Forest Exploitation

Decades of commercial and illegal logging have stripped indigenous forests of old-growth trees, reducing species richness and destabilizing local ecosystems. Logging alters hydrological cycles and nutrient distribution, triggering long-term degradation.

Example: The Sierra Madre mountain range has suffered deforestation from both legal concessions and illegal logging operations, affecting endemic species like the Philippine eagle.

2. Unsustainable Upland Farming

Traditional slash-and-burn (kaingin) agriculture allowed recovery through rotation and rest. However, increased migration into upland areas led to overuse, reduced fallow periods, and soil exhaustion.

Example: The Cordillera region faces challenges from intensified kaingin due to population pressure, threatening native pine forests and soil biodiversity.

3. Unregulated Hunting

Hunting for subsistence, sport, or training, when unmonitored, depletes animal populations and disrupts ecological balance. Key species lose their roles in seed dispersal, pollination, and predator-prey relationships.

Example: In Palawan, hunting has impacted the population of the Palawan bearded pig and pangolin, both vital to forest regeneration.

4. Destructive Fishing Practices

Aquatic ecosystems suffer from overfishing and harmful techniques such as blast fishing and cyanide use. These destroy coral reefs, breeding grounds, and juvenile populations.

Example: In coastal Mindanao, coral damage from illegal fishing has led to reduced fish catch and loss of marine biodiversity.

5. Forest Fires

High temperatures and human negligence can spark fires, consuming vast areas of forest and harming flora, fauna, and traditional lands.

Example: Fires in Mt. Kalatungan, Bukidnon have affected ancestral territories and forest-dependent wildlife like the Philippine warty pig.

6. Improper Grazing

Free-range livestock grazing in forest edges or community grasslands can trample vegetation, cause erosion, and introduce invasive plant species.

Example: Grazing near Mt. Apo has led to the degradation of critical habitats used by indigenous groups for medicinal and cultural plants.

7. Land Conversion and Urban Expansion

Expanding residential zones into forested regions fragments habitats and displaces indigenous species. This also disconnects indigenous communities from their ecological and cultural landscapes.

Example: Encroachment into ancestral domains in Northern Mindanao has limited access to traditional lands and endangered species such as the flying lemur (kagwang).