Philippines fast-tracks critical minerals, raising Indigenous, environmental concerns
The Philippines is moving to accelerate critical-mineral development across millions of hectares of land, raising concerns that expanded mining and faster permitting could put pressure on forests, ancestral domains, and Indigenous communities’ ability to give or withhold consent. In an executive order signed on Aug. 18, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. established a national framework for […]
On Mindoro Island in the Philippines, Indigenous Iraya Mangyan elders are working with conservationists to preserve their community's knowledge of the region's flora and fauna. As younger generations become less familiar with this traditional ecological wisdom, and deforestation and infrastructure projects threaten the island's unique wildlife, the community is collaborating with the Center for Conservation Innovations Philippines (CCIPH) to document vital information.
This knowledge includes how local birds, such as the turis, siruk, and sulit, guide the Iraya's daily lives and inform their forest protection efforts. The turis and siruk are classified as vulnerable, while the sulit is considered near threatened on the IUCN Red List. These birds hold significant cultural and spiritual importance for the Iraya, with the sulit being linked to deceased family members and the siruk's calls said to carry special meanings.
Overlapping with the UNESCO-designated Puerto Galera Biosphere Reserve, the Iraya's ancestral domain spans roughly 40,000 hectares and is the focus of the CCIPH's Mindoro Forest and Biodiversity Programme.
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- The race to document Indigenous knowledge to protect Philippines’ birds news.mongabay.com
