Field researchers on USAID’s Sustainable Interventions for Biodiversity, Oceans, and Landscapes project recorded the measurements of a towering Manggis tree in Mt. Mantalingahan Protected Landscape (MMPL) in southern Palawan, Philippines. They did this as part of the comprehensive ecological assessment they conducted to determine the status of species, habitats, and threats in the protected area. Manggis trees are towering species commonly found in old-growth forests of MMPL. Together with the rich soil and other trees in old-growth forests, Manggis trees are vital for sequestering carbon in the atmosphere. However, with the increase in activities such as timber poaching, slash-and-burn farming, charcoal making, fuelwood collection, and construction/development activities, the Manggis and old-growth forests are under threat. USAID is working with the protected area management office in MMPL to update their management plans through the results of the Agency’s biodiversity assessment. This will help local stakeholders craft better-informed programs and policy decisions for protecting the forests and biodiversity of MMPL to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Climatelinks Photo Gallery
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Officers with the BLUEFRA Association deliver information on climate change mitigation and forest protection to local communities in Sitio Tawi Tawi, Brgy. Progonsino, Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines.
Mangrove forests are vital ecosystems that are abundant along the coastlines of Siargao Island Protected Landscape and Seascape (SIPLAS) in the Philippines. Aside from their canopies and ground cover serving as habitat for diverse flora and fauna species, mangrove forests are also major contributors to climate change mitigation. They serve as carbon sinks, absorbing tons of carbon dioxide from the air and storing it in their branches, roots, and sediment. The SIPLAS Community Mobilization Officer for USAID’s Sustainable Interventions for Biodiversity, Oceans, and Landscapes (SIBOL) project visited a mangrove area in San Benito to conduct an initial assessment of its status post-Super Typhoon Odette. USAID continues to work with local government units and environmental offices in SIPLAS to promote the protection and rehabilitation of these coastal habitats.
A fisherfolk in Masinloc, Zambales, Philippines dries her fish catch that will be sold in the markets to earn income to support her family. She makes sure that her fish products are of the right sizes, avoiding young or juvenile ones. This is part of the locals’ efforts to support sustainable fishing so that future generations can still benefit from the marine resources of Masinloc. Through engaging in sustainable fishing, locals in Masinloc no longer need to partake in illegal activities that pose a threat to reef areas and coastal ecosystems vital for mitigating the impacts of climate change. USAID, through its Sustainable Interventions for Biodiversity, Oceans, and Landscapes (SIBOL) project, supports environmental campaigns to raise awareness among the local communities in Masinloc about the importance of marine protected areas and to encourage their participation in conservation initiatives.
Field researchers on USAID's Sustainable Interventions for Biodiversity, Oceans, and Landscapes (SIBOL) project spotted a green tree skink during an ecological assessment in Mt. Mantalingahan Protected Landscape (MMPL) in southern Palawan, Philippines. MMPL is a 120,457-hectare protected area that is home to the green tree skink and various other flora and fauna species. Preliminary data from the assessment showed that there were 97 bird species, 24 mammals, 67 reptiles and amphibians, and 290 species of plants identified in the area. However, several human-induced threats such as slash-and-burn farming, timber poaching, and hunting were also prominent in the area. Aside from being home to various species, Mt. Mantalingahan is an important frontier in carbon sequestration through its old-growth forests serving as carbon sinks. USAID is working with local partners in MMPL to update their protected area management plan using the results of the assessment to aid MMPL’s protection, conservation, and sustainable management.
A family from the Palaw’an tribe in Mt. Mantalingahan in southern Palawan, Philippines displayed their freshly harvested root crops. Indigenous groups residing in Mt. Mantalingahan Protected Landscape (MMPL) are highly dependent on the natural resources of the protected area. Apart from root crops and fruits, they also collect non-timber products such as honey, rattan, and almaciga resins. However, several activities such as timber poaching, charcoal making, and slash-and-burn farming pose imminent threats to them. Without appropriate conservation initiatives for the protected area, the Palaw’an will be among the first to be vulnerable against climate change impacts by losing their main sources of livelihood. USAID, through the Sustainable Interventions for Biodiversity, Oceans, and Landscapes (SIBOL) project, is engaging locals in the sustainable management of Mt. Mantalingahan by supporting the establishment of biodiversity-friendly enterprises such as ecotourism in the protected area. With alternative sources of livelihood, locals may be deterred from partaking in illegal environmental activities and engage in the conservation of MMPL's natural resources.
In Taytay, Palawan, Philippines, Lake Manguao fosters ecotourism livelihoods and supports income-generating products from freshwater tilapia and non-forest goods. It also serves a vital surface water supply source. However, its vast land area presents a significant challenge for the Taytay Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO) forest patrol team including Karl, John, and Veo, constrained by limited human resources. Within the remote forest-covered areas encircling the lake, illegal activities like timber cutting, charcoal making, and slash-and-burn farming are widespread and contribute to emissions that increase climate change.
USAID Philippines, through its Safe Water Project, collaborates with MENRO and community-based organizations, notably the Lake Manguao Community and Indigenous People Agricultural Cooperative (LMCIPAC). Together, they strive to enhance patrolling efforts using the technology-based Lawin forest and biodiversity protection system. Lawin offers a digital platform to record forest observations, detect threats, and communicate with environmental law enforcement authorities, generating automatic patrol reports. By utilizing mobile phones donated by Globe Telecom, MENRO and LMCIPAC undertake patrols, extending coverage to vulnerable and hotspot areas in Lake Manguao. For the community members, the preservation of forests surrounding the lake is paramount, as it safeguards their livelihoods and ensures a thriving ecosystem and water source.
A fisher uses a kasag caliper to comply with sustainability requirements to catch legal sized blue swimming crabs. The USAID Fish Right Program co-developed the tool with the University of the Philippines Visayas and launched its use with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in the island Barangay of Igbon. Igbon is a blue swimming crab model village in Concepcion, Iloilo that is receiving support from public and private sector partners to increase the blue swimming crab stocks.
A strong public-private-community partnership between BFAR, USAID, blue swimming crab fishers, industry partners, and others, is aimed at improving the rating of the Philippine blue swimming crab from red (avoid) to yellow (good alternative) in the U.S. market. A yellow rating, which is conditional on responsible fishing practices, means broader access to the export market for blue swimming crab fishers. Sustainable fisheries facilitates a more stable livelihood and better incomes for fishers, a key contributor to climate resilience.
The Siete Pecados Marine Park consists of seven islets in barangay Tagumpay, municipality of Coron, province of Palawan, Philippines. USAID helped establish the Park in 2004, with an original area of 0.52 km2, and it has since expanded to 1.53 km2 in 2020, with revenue of at least $124,000 annually from managed tourism. Illegal fishing used to be a serious problem there, but over time, the initiative grew from a local coastal community's effort to restore their fisheries and generate income into an integrated effort that has restored fisheries stocks and coral cover, improved marine biodiversity, enhanced climate resilience, and generated income for local communities and revenue for local government. Siete Pecados Marine Park is now one of the most recognized community-managed marine protected areas in the country in terms of management effectiveness at the local, pro
A singular boat moved through the thick forest and mangroves near a commonly used entry and exit point for fishermen. Mangrove and forest restoration has been a staple program across the Philippines.
One of the enumerators of the Philippines' Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources National Stock Assessment Program learns the latest data collection methods for stock assessment, particularly of staple fish such as the round scad (galunggong), also known as the "poor man's fish." The training by USAID Fish Right Program included classroom sessions as well as practice drills with landed catch sampling of roundscad fish at the Navotas Fish Port Complex, the premier fish center in the Philippines and one of the largest in Asia. The exercise also included a consultation with commercial fishers whose cooperation is critical in sample collection. Streamlining fish data collection in major ports such as Navotas will provide fishery managers with more reliable data to create evidence-based fisheries management policies and measures. This will help sustain the poor man's fish and improve food security at a time of declining fish stocks due to climate change.
This is a photo of the coastal clean-up activity we conducted on June 05, 2022, in Ibo, Lapu-Lapu City, in the Cebu province as a part of our participation in the "Aksyon Para Sa Natatanging Mundo" (Action for One Planet). As part of this campaign, simultaneous environmental protection activities were led by the Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
A sustainable world depends on every human living on this planet! We must work together hand in hand with a common goal towards the protection of our planet. Today is the right time to wake up and understand what the world needs. Save the world, and everything will be repaid. Rather than thinking about how far the North Pole is from the South Pole, realize that these two places are part of one planet. Whatever you do today affects not just you locally but the entire world. Local action has a global impact!
Members of Malatgao United Riverside Farmers Association in Quezon municipality, Palawan province received their high-quality durian seedlings from the USAID-funded Protect Wildlife project in the Philippines. They are among the 600 local and indigenous farmers who were trained and engaged by USAID Protect Wildlife in 2019 to plant 44,000 durian seedlings in approximately 400 hectares of forestland in southern Palawan. This agroforestry and conservation agriculture initiative is a way for USAID to provide incentives to farmers who agree to plant high-value fruit trees in forestlands and buffer zones classified as production areas. When successful, this can contribute to increased tree cover in their area, enhanced climate resiliency through healthier forests, and improved conservation of local biodiversity.
Indigenous women farmers in Bataraza, southern Palawan, Philippines, plant upland rice in now-controlled slash-and-burn areas. Bataraza is a municipality nestled in the foothills of Mount Mantaligahan, 140 km south of Puerto Princesa City in Palawan, Phiippines. Within the vast Mount Mantalingahan mountain range lies the Mount Mantalingahan Protected Landscape. Covering 120,457 hectares of forest, this protected area serves as the headwater of 33 watersheds and is home to many highly-endangered wildlife species. In terms of farming, slash-and-burn agriculture has been used by the local communities for many generations, but its effect in today’s diminishing state of natural resources has been destructive and unsustainable. The USAID-funded Protect Wildlife Project, in cooperation with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, is helping indigenous people improve upland farming and strengthen local livelihoods so they won't need to expand their slash-and-burn areas or resort to wildlife poaching just to make ends meet. These women farmers have been taught the proper upland farming techniques, such as using a minimum land area for inter-cropping of vegetables and fruit trees. Slash-and-burn agriculture causes deforestation, accidental fires, habitat and species loss, increased air pollution and the release of carbon into the atmosphere, which contributes to global climate change. Photo taken in Palawan, Philippines on June 18, 2019.
In Sugodi, Barangay Cabayugan, Palawan, Philippines, newly cleared forest land for agriculture, with views of pristine forests protected by the CADC and park areas in the background.