ICA Japan - Philippines 1999

Afforestation and Environment Education
With Highland Indigenous Peoples
for Conservation of the Virgin Forest in Nueva Ecija
in The Philippines

September 1999 - September 2000

Mt. Mapidya belongs to Sierra Madre mountain range which is the largest mountain range in the Philippines. Flash floods due to de-forestation and unstable climate causes various damages such as land slides, and it is affecting biodiversity and also human life on the mountains. This is a model used for SALT (Sloping Agriculture Technology) training for soil and water conservation.

Project Overview
Mt. Mapidya located in Nueva Ecija on Luzon Island in the Philippines, is badly denuded, mainly because of illegal logging. Deforestation will destroy the remaining virgin forests in Mt. Mapidya soon, if it continues. Life of Highland Indigenous People (HIP) is also threatened by decrease of forest resource and disasters such as flood.

Awareness raising, food security, and alternative income source of HIP are essential to conserve the environment properly. Ica has been working on biodiversity research, tree planting, literacy and environment education, and agroforestry with HIP and local partners. HIP had a small but very precious step toward sustainable resource use and lively community, through these activities. Slowly but surely, trees are growing, and people are becoming more conscious about their surrounding environment. HIP who are often discriminated by lowlanders have been regaining their human dignity, too.

We will expand the project to a new site from April 2001, and implement activities to create environment which enable people to live without illegal logging and to nurture future leaders of environment conservation, while restoring HIPﾕs wisdom of the forests and their culture.

Afforestation and Environment Education With Highland Indigenous Peoples for Conservation of the Virgin Forest in Nueva Ecija in The Philippines September 1999 - September 2000 Mt. Mapidya belongs to Sierra Madre mountain range which is the largest mountain range in the Philippines. Flash floods due to de-forestation and unstable climate causes various damages such as land slides, and it is affecting biodiversity and also human life on the mountains. This is a model used for SALT (Sloping Agriculture Technology) training for soil and water conservation.
Project Overview Mt. Mapidya located in Nueva Ecija on Luzon Island in the Philippines, is badly denuded, mainly because of illegal logging. Deforestation will destroy the remaining virgin forests in Mt. Mapidya soon, if it continues. Life of Highland Indigenous People (HIP) is also threatened by decrease of forest resource and disasters such as flood. Awareness raising, food security, and alternative income source of HIP are essential to conserve the environment properly. Ica has been working on biodiversity research, tree planting, literacy and environment education, and agroforestry with HIP and local partners. HIP had a small but very precious step toward sustainable resource use and lively community, through these activities. Slowly but surely, trees are growing, and people are becoming more conscious about their surrounding environment. HIP who are often discriminated by lowlanders have been regaining their human dignity, too. We will expand the project to a new site from April 2001, and implement activities to create environment which enable people to live without illegal logging and to nurture future leaders of environment conservation, while restoring HIPﾕs wisdom of the forests and their culture.
Virgin Forest
	1. Virgin forests are remaining in Mt. Pinanganakan and Mt. Kinubabawan of the Mt.Mapidya range. Endemic species of trees such as Octameles sumatrana, ferns, and orchids, mammals such as monkeys and wild cat, and reptiles are living there. Endangered pieces of predatory birds such as Philippines Eagle are also thriving.
	2. Red lauan (Shorea negrosensis). One of the species which are extracted by illegal loggers because of its market value.
	3. Celtis Philippinensis Malaikmo, a endemic species.
Denudation
	4. Mt. Mapidya belongs to Sierra Madre mountain range which is the largest mountain range in the Philippines. Sierra Madre mountain range covers ten provinces, and its part in Nueva Ecija province is one of the most badly damaged. According to the low landers, the mountains were burning almost every night because of the mountain fire caused by loggers.
	5. Illegal loggers from the lowland villages are using the river to transport the logs. They come into the forest trying to get out of the poverty, not realizing that they are destroying the watershed they are dependent upon to get out of poverty.
	6. Over grazing of cattle and slash and burn farming also destroy the forests. Mountain surface is burnt badly.
Traditional Life of the Highland Indigenous Peoples
	7. A Dumagat in a traditional dress. He is wearing a g-string and a knife. Many of them are traditionally nomadic. However, being nomadic is getting difficult because the forest resources have been decreasing.
	8. A sun shade. They change the direction of the roof according to the movement of the sun.
	9. Traditional hut made of wood and banana leaves. These huts are made near rivers. Recently, flash floods which occurred often in rainy season washed some houses away, and killed some people.
Community on Mt. Mapidya
	10. Some people started to settle down to practice farming and to help each other, and a community was created in 1998 in Sitio Mapidya, and in 2000 in Sitio Salasa. The photo shows Sitio Mapidya where18 Dumagats and 23 Igorots families are living. They also think of themselves as united highlanders using the acronym HIP meaning Highland Indigenous People.
	11. A Multi-Purpose Hall was constructed in 1997. This is a communal farm next to the hall. HIPs are enjoying working together in their farm.
12. Sitio Salasa. It is a newly born community formed in April 2000. 28 Domagats families are living there.
Pugad Lawin Training Center
	13. Pugad Lawin Training Center was established in February 1999. The green house cum laboratory at the center is used to see if the sample plants can survive at a place where they did not originate, how seedlings grow in various conditions, and also to train local people.
	14. The seedlings were transplanted from a nursery bed to the pots for an experiment. Mr. Roger Moya, a project coordinator, is instructing children how to transplant the seedlings.
	15. Plants growth patterns were analyzed in various soils, such as loam, riversand and loam, and organic soil.
Nursery ~Sitio Mapidya~
	16. Seeds of forest trees such as Narra, Teak, and Mahogany were sown in seed beds at the Pugad Lawin Training center. Seedlings get ready for transplanting in 3-4 months.
	17. A propagation shed beside the Muti-Purpose hall at the community. Seeds of forest trees such as Narra and G-melina were sown here. Community people and children who attend the literacy class take care of the seedlings.
	18. Norman Namoro, a project coordinator, is taking the seedlings out of the green house. Seedlings which are grown inside the green house have to be hardened outside before final transplanting.
~Sitio Salasa~
19. A seed bed in Salasa. Seeds of narra, mahogany, teak, g-melina, ipil-ipil were sown. Mr. Digan at the left side is from Sitio Mapidya. He often visits Sitio Salasa to supervise nursery preparation and tree planting activities.
	20. The whole family participated in nursery preparation. Children learned how to take care of the seedlings as well as the adults.
	21. Front view of the nursery. Tatang Tarzan, the eldest man in CADC 079 is in the middle. He decided to settle in Salasa and participate in the tree planting activities.
Tree Planting ~Sitio Mapidya~
	22. Tree planting activity in Sitio Mapidya. HIPs got together and prepared the land.
	23. Participants planted seedlings with careful care listening to the supervisers. Both adult and children enjoyed planting trees.
~Sitio Salasa~
	24. Tree planting activities involving the whole community in Salasa started to restore the lost diverse vegetation.
	25. Students of College of Agriculture of Wesleyan University also joined in the tree planting activities. The students at the right side are planting narra, and the students at the left side are constructing a checkdam along the gully to prevent soil surface erosion.
Literacy and Environment Education
	26. In the long term, early childhood education is essential for the sustainability of the environment conservation activities. Various topics such as basic literacy, mathematics, and ecology are included in the curriculum, which is designed to provide functional education and to sustain the greatness of their culture.
	27. Children water the plants after the class.
Soil and Water Conservation
	28. Series of training on SALT (Sloping Agriculture Technology) and Farm management for soil and water conservation were conducted. Denudation lessoned the mountainﾕs capacity of containing water and made the ground unstable. Recently, "flush" floods induced by the unstable climate causes various damages such as land slides, and it is affecting biodiversity and also human life on the mountains.
	29.30. The training had ten courses, and about 40 people participated in each course. Drawings were used so that all the participants could understand easily.
	31. Bench terraces constructed using SALT in the demonstration farm at the Pugad Lawin Training Center. They are making contour with A-frame.
	32. Lemon glass which fixes nitrogen and also has high market value was planted along the bench terrace alley. Gliricidia was also planted since it fixes nitrogen and prevents soil erosion.
	33. Check dams were constructed in January 2000. This check dam is made of Gliricidia and banana bracts. Banana bracts once decayed soften the soil and absorbs nutrient that fertilize growing Gliricidia.
Cooperative
	34. A cooperative was officially created in Mt. Mapidya community on January 3rd, 2000. Mr. Adoriano Digan, chairperson of the cooperative is holding the certificate. It has 37 members.
	35. Training on cooperative farm management was provided. Most of the members do not have much experience in business, and they need to be supervised.
	36. Ms. Hasegawa, a Japanese coordinator, is discussing cooperative management with Mr. Nasino, project director, and the members.
Livelihood Programs of the Cooperative
	37. Coffee nursery. 18,000 trees have been already transplanted.
	38. Basket Making with Rattan. Villagers found that they have various skills among them through their activities.
	39. Bloom making is one of the income generation programs. Members planted Tiger grass to prepare for the bloom making season.
Toward Sustainable Development
	40. Delos Santos family cultivated fields, and are growing various kinds of crops. They are great models of the community, and they are willing to motivate others.
	41. Mr. Quirang is holding Tiger glass which is uses to make soft blooms. He used to sell raw materials in low land. He is now planning to use it for the cooperative activities.
	42. A young man who is plowing with a carabao. People in Mt. Mapidya are now trying to live without relying on logging.
HIPs who join in this project was given an award as "The Most Outstanding Tribal Community in the Province of Nueva Ecija" on September 6th, 1999. They were awarded because they organized themselves into a community, and contributed to forest conservation. Their effort to be sustainably productive through livelihood programs were also valued. Mt. Mapidya community was not recognized by the government and could not get any government assistance before. This award means a lot to the community, and also they are expected to play more roles in forest conservation in the future. The drawings in children's hands show how they view the forests and their community. What will be their view and values when they become adults?
Mt. Mapidya Land Use Map
	Highland indigenous children who are students of the literacy class, and active members of tree planting activities. Trees we planted last year are taller than us now.

Afforestation and Environment Education With Highland Indigenous Peoples for Conservation of the Virgin Forest in Nueva Ecija in The Philippines

September 1999 - September 2000

Afforestation and Environment Education
With Highland Indigenous Peoples
for Conservation of the Virgin Forest in Nueva Ecija
in The Philippines