Conservation of Virgin Forest with Highland Indigenous People in The Philippines

April 2001 - March 2002

Young people from the Bignay area. They are active participants in the project. When one of them was asked "What is your dream?", he gave a big smile. "I would like to be a farmer in Bignay."

Project Overview

Mt. Mapidya, located in Nueva Ecija on Luzon Island in the Philippines, is badly denuded, mainly because of illegal logging. Deforestation will soon destroy the remaining virgin forests on Mt. Mapidya, if it continues. Survival of Highland Indigenous People (HIP) is also threatened by the depletion of forest resources and disasters such as floods.
Since 1997, ICA has been working in the Mapidya area with HIP and local partners on awareness raising, food security, and alternative income sources for local people, which are essential to conserve the environment properly. Our activities include biodiversity research, tree planting, literacy and environment education, and agroforestry. These activities attracted other communities, and the Salasa area joined in the project in 2000. We expanded the project to the Bignay area in April 2001, where people had been eager to join in the project, ever since the project in Mapidya area started. Now, people are making continuous efforts to create an environment which enable them to live without illegal logging, and to help with re-forestation activities.

Virgin Forest
1. Virgin forest in the Mt. Mapidya range. It is a watershed which provides water to areas such as Manila, Bulacan, and Nueva Ecija. The Mt. Mapidya range is a part of the Sierra Marde mountain range which is the largest mountain range in the Philippines. Endemic species of plant such as Celtis Philippinensis, mammals such as monkeys and wild cats, and reptiles such as boa constrictors and monitor lizards live in the forests. Philippines Eagle, an endangered species, is also thriving.
2. Near the entrance to the virgin forest. Virgin forests are located 400-500m above sea level on Mt. Pinanganakan and Mt. Kinubabawan. The forests remain since they are not easily accessible. However, they will soon be destroyed without efforts to conserve them.
Denudation Continues...
3. The forests in the Mt. Mapidya range have been damaged widely by human activities. Currently, one of the main causes of denudation is illegal logging. Illegal loggers are transporting timbers down the river. It takes a few days to get to lowlands. According to an illegal logger, those who cut trees earn 1 peso (about 2.4 yen) per foot per person, and those who transport the timbers earn 8 pesos (about 19 yen) per foot per group.
4. Mr. Nasino, Project Director, and Mr. Pineda from the National Commission for Indigenous People are examining the timbers transported by water buffalo. They will inform the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the location, species of the tree, and size of the timbers.
5. Local people engage themselves in charcoal making in the dry season. Commercial charcoal making is prohibited in the Mt. Mapidya range, since it damages the forest environment. However, people keep making charcoal to earn for their daily needs, knowing it is illegal. A lot of trees are cut down for the purpose during the months of February till June. There are six ovens in Bignay.
6. Forest destruction in the Nueva Ecija part of the Sierra Madre mountain range is severe, and most of the mountains except for those which are inaccessible are already denuded. The mountains which can be seen from Bignay area are deeply hurt.
7. Forest denudation lessens the mountains' capacity to absorb water, and water resources are affected. Rio Chico river which flows through Bignay area became shallow because of siltation. Water level goes down seriously during the dry season. Some springs which used to have water all year round dried in February 2002.
Scene of Sitio Bignay
8. The Bignay area consists of five zones, Bignay, Langka, Pultik, Magiting and Malawelawe. 48 families are living there, and their houses are scattered along Chico river which runs through the Bignay area. Most of the mountains have already been denuded.
9. Forests in the area are badly damaged, but there still are beautiful places where you can enjoy nature. We can hear various birds singing while walking along the mountain streams.
10. This is a water fall in Langka. It is about 30 minutes from the community. Local people do not often visit there because there are a lot of leeches. Mr. Eliezer Nasino (project director), Mr. Jerico Cabotaje (field staff), and Mr. Erwin Sagcal (field staff) from right to left.
The way of Life
11. Dumagat, a highland indigenous people, and migrants such as Talgalog, Irocano, and Visaya are living in the Bignay area. There is no school or health care center, and social services are scarce. The nearest lowland town is about 16km away from Bignay, and most of the people from Bignay have no other means to travel than walking.
12. Ms. De los Santos is 25 years old, and she has four children. Her son, her first child, is 9 years old now. Many of the women in Bignay get married and give birth young.
13. Mr. and Mrs. Contin who have a small shop called "sari sari store". They sell daily necessities such as cooking oil and canned foods. There are two sari sari stores in the Bignay area.
14. The boy is boiling corn while he is waiting for his father to come home; he went to a farm to plant banana trees. Children know how to use fire wood and how to cook.
15. A family is enjoying bathing and washing clothes in the river in the morning. People do not have bathrooms in their houses, and they come to the river to take a bath.

16. Family members and neighbors are enjoying spending time together one morning in the rainy season. Mr. Ariel is singing along to the only guitar in Bignay. They do not have a "convenient life" like in Japan, but they do have a life with sufficient time for family members to enjoy being with each other.

The Path to the Project
17. People in Bignay have been keen on implementing a project for reforestation and promoting sustainable living since 1998. Mr. Nasino has been consulting and discussing with people to raise awareness of environment conservation and to understand peoples' needs since May 2000.
18. The Participatory Strategic Planning workshop was conducted as part of the project preparation in February 2001. Ms. Maki Hasegawa, the Japanese coordinator, and Mr. Nasino facilitated the session. 38 people participated in the workshop, and generated ideas about the community's vision, how it might be achieved, and potential obstacles.
19. Participants draw how they want their community to look five years later. Their vision is to develop a community with no poverty and surrounded by rich nature, and to live in harmony with other living creatures. People started to move towards their dreams during the project.
Awareness Raising
20. People in Bignay need to understand the significance of environment conservation themselves and actively participate in order to make the conservation effort sustainable. Literacy is an important factor to make training effective and realize stable life. Environment and literacy classes started in June 2002 in Bignay area which did not have any school.
21. The classes include reading, writing and discussion regarding topics such as agroforestry and tree planting. Adult class participants are practicing writing and drawing of agroforestry technologies.
22. Children's class. The nearest school is more than 20km away from Bignay area, parents can not afford to send their children to the school, and most of the children did not have school education opportunities. We started basic literacy education such as reading and writing of alphabet and names. They also have opportunities to think and discuss about living creatures and forests using posters and out of class activities.
23. One of the children class participants said, "I will learn more, so that I can read and write names of people, birds and plants in the forest!"
Nursery
24. Nurseries were constructed in Bignay and Langka to produce seedlings within the communities. Project participants went through a seminar on nursery construction, and then they constructed the nurseries instructed by the field staff.
25. The nursery in Bignay. Seeds of mahogany, g-melina, teak, and corns and string beans for agroforestry were sown. Nursery management training was conducted so that project participants can take the initiative in nursery activities. They learned about plant propagation methods, the monitoring of nursery performance, and pest control.
26. The nursery in Langka. The first seed sowing was done in July. Seeds of mahogany, g-melina, teak, and corns and string beans for agroforestry were sown. The first batch of the seedlings were transplanted in January 2002.
27. Seedlings need to be watered every morning and evening during the dry season. Seeds of mahogany, ipil-ipil and acacia auri seeds were sown in March 2002, and they are growing healthy with project participants' tender care. The seedlings will be transplanted in July.
Reforestation
28. The National Commission for Indigenous People recognized the reforestation activities in the Mapidya mountain range, and donated seedlings of mahogany, mango, coconut and eucalyptus. Project participants are clearing the planting sites.
29. Young people are playing a major role in the project. They actively joined in the tree planting.
30. Project participants transplanted the seedlings which they grew at their nursery. Whole the community participated in and enjoyed the tree planting activities.
Soil and Water Conservation
31. Bignay area is affected by floods every rainy season, due to forest denudation on the Mt. Mapidya range and climate change. The training on soil and water conservation technology was conducted from June to October 2002 to reduce the effects of the floods.
32. Training participants are practicing vegetative check dam making. Vegetative check dams is one of the methods to prevent soil erosion. The effects of the dams have already been observed. According to the villagers, soil erosion is reduced, the water flow is changed, and the tree planting sites and the farms have better water distribution now.
Agroforestry
33. Sloping Agriculture Land Technology, an agroforestry technology, was introduced for food security and income generation. Sloping Agriculture Land Technology improves soil productivity with relatively little environmental intervention and is also effective for soil and water conservation.
34. One hectare model farms near the nurseries were prepared in both Bignay and Langka. Training in Sloping Agriculture Land Technology is held in these farms. Terraces were made, and corns, rice, and string beans were planted.
35. Mahogany and coconut trees were planted along contours to stabilize the soil. Gliricidia planting and Contour hedgerows were also introduced to conserve soil and water.
36. Participants apply the techniques which they learned in their own farms. The Rodriguez family is preparing for terrace building.
37. Mr. Heno planted ginger, string beans, taro and corns. He is happy since he can grow crops even during the dry season using irrigation hoses.
38. Mr. Amado planted rice, banana and sweet potatoes. Two sons help him in farming work.

Possibilities for the Future

In this project, project participants take part in all the processes such as planning, implementation and monitoring. Now, after one year's activities, people in Bignay area are more willing to share share vision and dreams with others, and are more interested in their own family, community, and the surrounding environment. They will continue the ongoing activities, and are looking at the opportunities shown below. We would like to keep moving forward slowly but surely, so that the step which they made this year will be truely meaningful.

Appropriate Use of Medicinal Plants

39, 40. There is no health center in the Bignay area. However, there are a lot of medicinal plants. Only a few people know how to use medicinal plants, and seminars to promote proper use of these plants are necessary.
Eco-Cultural Awareness Program

41,42. An Eco-Cultural Awareness Program is being developed to encourage appropriate and sustainable use of natural resources. The target group of the program is Japanese mountain lovers who are concerned about environmental issues. A work shop to generate ideas on possible activities was conducted in August 2001. Their ideas include vegetable production, a forest nature walk, and tree planting activities, along with developing deep relationships.