Can REDD+ deliver for Philippines’ Iraya Mangyan?
PUERTO GALERA, Philippines — Before sunrise, Bernito Pampilo shoulders a backpack carrying a mobile phone, flashlight and enough food — he hopes — for a day’s patrol through the forests of Puerto Galera in northern Mindoro, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of Manila. By around 6 a.m., the 56-year-old Iraya Mangyan patroller and two […]
At 6 a.m., Bernito Pampilo and two fellow Iraya Mangyan patrollers begin their day's work in the forests of Puerto Galera, Mindoro, about 75 miles south of Manila. The 56-year-old leader of a community tasked with protecting ancestral lands prays to their creator, Apo Iraya, for safety as they navigate treacherous terrain, including rivers, steep ridges, and deep holes called balahaw. Pampilo warns that falling into these holes could result in death, making their path through the forest fraught with danger.
The forest they patrol is part of the 14,661-hectare Puerto Galera Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO-designated area since 1977. For Pampilo, this role is not just a job but a vital responsibility to safeguard forests his people have depended on for generations. The Mindoro Forest and Biodiversity Conservation Programme (MFBCP), led by CCIPH, aims to conserve over 40,000 hectares of ancestral forest while providing support to around 2,500 Iraya Mangyan households.
Over a 29-year period, from 2020 to 2049, the MFBCP integrates ancestral-domain recognition, carbon monitoring, Indigenous patrols, and livelihood initiatives, all under the United...
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