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	<channel>
		<title>Conservation news</title>
		<atom:link href="https://news.mongabay.com/feed/?location=philippines&#038;post_type=post" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
		<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/philippines/</link>
		<description>Environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Tue, 26 May 2026 00:35:10 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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	<url>https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/05/16160320/cropped-mongabay_icon-32x32.png</url>
	<title>Philippines environmental news</title>
	<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/philippines/</link>
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				<item>
					<title>The most underfunded climate opportunities may be at sea</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-most-underfunded-climate-opportunities-may-be-at-sea/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-most-underfunded-climate-opportunities-may-be-at-sea/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 May 2026 00:45:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rhett Ayers Butler]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/23171940/OceanImageBank_CameronVenti_2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=320057</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Philippines, Singapore, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Alternative Energy, Decarbonization, Energy, Energy Security, Energy Transition, Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal, Marine Conservation, Marine Ecosystems, Oceans, Offshore Wind, Ports, Renewable Energy, Shipping, Wind, and Wind Power]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Ocean philanthropy remains a small field. Funding directed specifically toward ocean-climate solutions is smaller still. At last week’s “Sea Change” panel on ocean-climate solutions in Asia, convened as part of the Philanthropy Asia Summit, the discussion kept returning to this mismatch: the ocean is central to the climate transition, yet ocean-climate philanthropy remains a rounding [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Ocean philanthropy remains a small field. Funding directed specifically toward ocean-climate solutions is smaller still. At last week’s “Sea Change” panel on ocean-climate solutions in Asia, convened as part of the Philanthropy Asia Summit, the discussion kept returning to this mismatch: the ocean is central to the climate transition, yet ocean-climate philanthropy remains a rounding error in global giving. Ocean-climate philanthropy’s funding gap The numbers are stark: Less than 1.5% of global philanthropic giving goes to climate mitigation. About 0.25% goes to ocean issues. At the intersection of the two, the figure is roughly 0.05%. That is a narrow base of support for work that touches power generation, shipping, food systems, coastal protection, marine biodiversity, and the future of many island and coastal economies. The ocean has long been treated by funders primarily as a conservation concern. Grants have supported marine protected areas, fisheries management, coastal livelihoods, scientific research, and habitat protection. Much of that work remains essential. It has helped create institutions, protect places, and improve the management of fisheries and reefs. Climate change is now the force most likely to overwhelm many of those gains. Warming, acidification, rising seas, stronger storms, and shifting fish stocks are changing the conditions under which ocean conservation operates. Foundation Funding for Ocean-Climate (2015–2024). Foundation ocean-climate funding shown here is inclusive of all mitigation and sequestration-focused funding, including cross-cutting policy work. Funding to blue carbon is included in this chart as a sequestration strategy. Labels represent 2024 funding amounts. Graphic from &#8220;Funding Trends&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-most-underfunded-climate-opportunities-may-be-at-sea/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-most-underfunded-climate-opportunities-may-be-at-sea/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Norlan Pagal, fisherman and guardian of Tañon Strait, died on May 14th, aged 56</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/shot-for-defending-the-sea-norlan-pagal-kept-watching-from-shore/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/shot-for-defending-the-sea-norlan-pagal-kept-watching-from-shore/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 May 2026 12:40:54 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rhett Ayers Butler]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/21123838/Norlan-Pagal-video-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=319928</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Philippines, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Communities and conservation, Conservation, Fishing, Illegal Fishing, Marine Conservation, Obituary, and Ocean]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The sea off San Remigio could look gentle from shore. White sand, clear water, and boats moving slowly across Tañon Strait. For many families in Barangay Anapog, in northern Cebu, it was also the pantry and workplace. Fish and shellfish were food, income, and a future to pass on. By the early 2000s, that future [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The sea off San Remigio could look gentle from shore. White sand, clear water, and boats moving slowly across Tañon Strait. For many families in Barangay Anapog, in northern Cebu, it was also the pantry and workplace. Fish and shellfish were food, income, and a future to pass on. By the early 2000s, that future was shrinking. Catches had fallen. Commercial boats entered waters reserved for small fishers. Dynamite and compressors damaged the reefs and frightened those who tried to stop them. The rules were known, but enforcement was weak, meaning that despite the sea’s protected status, it was still being stripped. Norlan Pagal had been a fisherman since 1979. He left school after Grade 4, but he learned fishery law closely and remembered what the sea had once provided. In 2002, when the decline became impossible to ignore, he joined the bantay dagat, the volunteer sea patrol that guards coastal waters in the Philippines. Three years later he became chair of the Anapog Fishermen Association. For more than a decade he helped watch over the Anapog Marine Protected Area and the wider Tañon Strait Protected Seascape. The work was direct and dangerous. He and other volunteers went out in small boats, sometimes paddling to confront fishers using illegal gear. They patrolled, reported violations, organized clean-ups, and helped restore mangroves. Sometimes they succeeded: commercial vessels were caught, sanctuaries defended, and rules enforced in a place where they had often been ignored. At other times the answer was violence. Norlan Pagal.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/shot-for-defending-the-sea-norlan-pagal-kept-watching-from-shore/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/shot-for-defending-the-sea-norlan-pagal-kept-watching-from-shore/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Philippine fishing and Indigenous communities wary of clean energy boom in Marcos stronghold</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/philippine-fishing-and-indigenous-communities-wary-of-clean-energy-boom-in-marcos-stronghold/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/philippine-fishing-and-indigenous-communities-wary-of-clean-energy-boom-in-marcos-stronghold/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 May 2026 23:28:31 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Michael Beltran]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/13110218/Ed-Singson-shows-off-the-seaweed-in-his-bucket-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=319296</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Philippines, Southeast Asia, and The Philippines]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Alternative Energy, Business, Clean Energy, Conservation, Energy, Featured, Fishing, Green Energy, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Islands, Just Transition, Marine, Marine Conservation, Renewable Energy, Solar Power, and Wind Power]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[PASUQUIN, Philippines — Crouched on the beach under the hot noon sun, a fisherman flattens a black sheet of seaweed on a bamboo mat rolled out on the sand. Wearing a straw hat wide enough to shade his entire body, he tucks his legs in to avoid getting burned. Gamet, a rare and coveted variety [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[PASUQUIN, Philippines — Crouched on the beach under the hot noon sun, a fisherman flattens a black sheet of seaweed on a bamboo mat rolled out on the sand. Wearing a straw hat wide enough to shade his entire body, he tucks his legs in to avoid getting burned. Gamet, a rare and coveted variety of seaweed local to the coasts of the Philippines’ Ilocos Norte province, is both a staple to fishing communities and a popular souvenir for travelers. But harvesting the highly sought-after seaweed can be a dangerous task. Like the better-known nori, it belongs to the Bangiaceae family of red algae and grows exclusively on the sharp, pointed rocks along the cooler waters of the northern Philippine coast. At the other end of the beach, Ed Singson, leader of the local fishing association, has just come ashore with a bucket of fresh gamet. Taking a handful of seaweed from his bucket, he says, “We will protest on the seas for this if we have to.” Singson, 55, and his fellow fisherfolk have learned from local authorities about plans by a foreign company to build a vast stretch of offshore wind turbines on traditional fishing grounds. They say they fear the construction, vibrations and, eventually, the completed structures could disrupt their fishing routes and local marine life. A fisher in Burgos, Ilocos Norte, flattens a sheet of Gamet to dry on the beach. Image by Michael Beltran for Mongabay. ‘Renewable energy capital’ Ilocos Norte, the northwestern tip of&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/philippine-fishing-and-indigenous-communities-wary-of-clean-energy-boom-in-marcos-stronghold/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/philippine-fishing-and-indigenous-communities-wary-of-clean-energy-boom-in-marcos-stronghold/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>19,000 Great Pyramids a year: Report flags unsustainable rate of sand mining</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/19000-great-pyramids-a-year-report-flags-unsustainable-rate-of-sand-mining/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/19000-great-pyramids-a-year-report-flags-unsustainable-rate-of-sand-mining/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 May 2026 17:33:57 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Carolyn Cowan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/18095047/WWF-Viet-Nam_Sand-Extraction-Mekong-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=319631</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Indonesia, Philippines, Southeast Asia, and Vietnam]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Business, Coastal Ecosystems, Dredging, Environment, Erosion, Fish, Fishing, Freshwater Ecosystems, Governance, Infrastructure, Mining, Rivers, Supply Chain, and Tropical Rivers]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Sand is the most widely extracted solid material on Earth. The global sand mining industry removes roughly 50 billion metric tons of it a year, a pace that far outstrips the planet’s natural replenishment rates, according to a new report from the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP). Excessive sand extraction from landscapes, rivers and coastal zones [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Sand is the most widely extracted solid material on Earth. The global sand mining industry removes roughly 50 billion metric tons of it a year, a pace that far outstrips the planet’s natural replenishment rates, according to a new report from the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP). Excessive sand extraction from landscapes, rivers and coastal zones threatens ecosystems, livelihoods and many processes on which life depends, the report says. Yet the current pace of removal — enough to build more than 19,000 Great Pyramids of Giza — is only set to grow, with demand for buildings alone expected to rise 45% by 2060. Without coordinated governance, stronger monitoring and long-term planning to mitigate the risks of surging global demand, the industry will continue operating at an unsustainable level, the authors say. The report, published by UNEP’s Global Resource Information Database Geneva (GRID-Geneva) team, calls on industry stakeholders to improve extraction practices to use sand more wisely by balancing meeting demand with environmental protection. Sand is used to make concrete to build everything from homes and offices to roads and seawalls. It’s also used to manufacture glass and silicon-based components like electronic chips and solar panels. “Sand is sometimes referred as the unrecognized hero of development,” Pascal Peduzzi, director of UNEP’s GRID-Geneva program, said in a press release. However, its role in sustaining biodiversity and coastal communities already vulnerable to the impacts of environmental change is too often overlooked, he added. “Sand is our first line of defence against sea level rise,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/19000-great-pyramids-a-year-report-flags-unsustainable-rate-of-sand-mining/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/19000-great-pyramids-a-year-report-flags-unsustainable-rate-of-sand-mining/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>RJ Nichole Ledesma, chronicler of unsettled ground on Negros Island, was killed last month. He was 30.</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/rj-nichole-ledesma-chronicler-of-unsettled-ground-on-negros-island-was-killed-last-month-he-was-30/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/rj-nichole-ledesma-chronicler-of-unsettled-ground-on-negros-island-was-killed-last-month-he-was-30/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 May 2026 15:32:30 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rhett Ayers Butler]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/03151913/RJ-Nichole-Ledesma-bw-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=318634</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Philippines, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Endangered Environmentalists, Environmental Journalism, Green Energy, Human Rights, Journalism, Murdered Journalists, Obituary, and Renewable Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[RJ Nichole Ledesma’s journalism returned again and again to land: who worked it, who owned it, who was pushed from it, and what happened when projects planned elsewhere arrived in villages with little warning. In Negros, an island shaped by sugar plantations, labor struggles and long conflict, he reported from places where environmental change was [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[RJ Nichole Ledesma’s journalism returned again and again to land: who worked it, who owned it, who was pushed from it, and what happened when projects planned elsewhere arrived in villages with little warning. In Negros, an island shaped by sugar plantations, labor struggles and long conflict, he reported from places where environmental change was not an abstraction. It appeared as proposed energy projects on agricultural land, a hydropower venture, a palm-oil plantation, or reclamation along a coast where fisherfolk made their living. He was 30 when he was killed on April 19th during a Philippine Army operation in Toboso, Negros Occidental. The military said the operation targeted suspected rebels of the New People’s Army and left 19 people dead. The Committee to Protect Journalists, citing news reports and the Altermidya Network, said Ledesma was a writer and editor at Paghimutad-Negros and had been reporting on the effects of renewable-energy projects. Altermidya and Human Rights Advocates Negros said he was not at the initial clash site, but in a separate community during a military pursuit operation. The army disputed accounts that some of those killed were civilians. The circumstances of his death remain contested. The shape of his work is easier to see. RJ Ledesma. Photo via Altermidya Ledesma came to journalism through campus reporting at the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod, where he studied psychology and became editor-in-chief of The Spectrum. There he learned the practical habits of reporting: listening, checking, documenting, and standing by a story&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/rj-nichole-ledesma-chronicler-of-unsettled-ground-on-negros-island-was-killed-last-month-he-was-30/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Energy crisis revives push to drill in Philippines’ largest intact wetland</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/energy-crisis-revives-push-to-drill-in-philippines-largest-intact-wetland/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/energy-crisis-revives-push-to-drill-in-philippines-largest-intact-wetland/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Apr 2026 21:11:11 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bong S. Sarmiento]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/04/17185118/Philippine-Duck-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=317714</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Philippines, Southeast Asia, and The Philippines]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conflict, Conservation, Energy, Energy Politics, Environment, Environmental Law, Fossil Fuels, Gas, Governance, Oil, Oil Drilling, Resource Conflict, War, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[MINDANAO, Philippines — There’s been a renewed push in the Philippines to develop oil and gas deposits in the southern Liguasan Marsh, prompted by the energy crisis caused by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, which has drawn criticism from environmental groups. The 288,000-hectare (712,000-acre) Liguasan Marsh, the largest intact wetland in the Philippines and home [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[MINDANAO, Philippines — There’s been a renewed push in the Philippines to develop oil and gas deposits in the southern Liguasan Marsh, prompted by the energy crisis caused by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, which has drawn criticism from environmental groups. The 288,000-hectare (712,000-acre) Liguasan Marsh, the largest intact wetland in the Philippines and home to diverse fauna and flora, is considered by nonprofit conservation group BirdLife International an “important bird and biodiversity area” (IBA). A sizeable portion of Liguasan, on the southern island of Mindanao, has been declared a game refuge and bird sanctuary since 1941. The marsh is home to the critically endangered Philippine crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis) and is the country’s last frontier for Tachybaptus ruficollis cotabato, a subspecies of the little grebe found only here, and the comb-crested jacana (Irediparra gallinacea). It also contains a significant volume of untapped oil and gas. A portion of the vast Liguasan Marsh beckons along the highway in Maguindanao province in the Bangsamoro region in the southern Philippines, in 2021. Image by Bong S. Sarmiento. In the 1990s, a joint exploration by the state-owned Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC) and its Malaysian counterpart, Petronas, found that at least 202 million barrels of recoverable crude oil and 6 billion cubic feet of natural gas sit within Liguasan Marsh. Exploration did not proceed further due to ongoing conflict between government forces and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a 40,000-strong armed group fighting for the right of self-determination in the southern Philippines. A&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/energy-crisis-revives-push-to-drill-in-philippines-largest-intact-wetland/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Deadly landfill collapse exposes risks faced by Philippines’ waste pickers</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/deadly-landfill-collapse-exposes-risks-faced-by-philippines-waste-pickers/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/deadly-landfill-collapse-exposes-risks-faced-by-philippines-waste-pickers/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Mar 2026 18:22:34 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Michael Beltran]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/03/02180015/Scavengers-dressed-in-typical-work-clothes-unprotected-from-checmicals-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=315087</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Philippines, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Environment, Health, Human Rights, Public Health, and Waste]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[RODRIGUEZ, Philippines — Lenny* recalled freezing when he saw the first heap of garbage collapse underneath the feet of his fellow scavengers on the afternoon of Feb. 20, at a landfill in the town of Rodriguez, in the Philippines’ Rizal province. Moments later, a larger perimeter caved. In an instant, a crater of trash had [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[RODRIGUEZ, Philippines — Lenny* recalled freezing when he saw the first heap of garbage collapse underneath the feet of his fellow scavengers on the afternoon of Feb. 20, at a landfill in the town of Rodriguez, in the Philippines’ Rizal province. Moments later, a larger perimeter caved. In an instant, a crater of trash had swallowed up hundreds of people. Scavengers aren’t technically employed by the landfill and are charged 50 pesos (about $1) as a weekly entrance fee. Armed with nothing more than T-shirts wrapped around their faces, they sift through the trash collected from nearby Metro Manila, looking for plastic and metal items they can sell to local junk shops by the kilo for recycling. According to Lenny (who asked not to use his real name for fear of reprisal) and other eyewitnesses, after the collapse, the landfill management ordered the dumping of more garbage and the bulldozing the surrounding debris to create a path downward. That ended up trapping dozens of scavengers under the trash. Mark Delos Reyes, spokesman for International Solid Waste Integrated Management Specialist (ISWIMS), the private company operating the landfill, denied that additional waste was dumped immediately after the trash slide. “All dumping was immediately halted. Any truck or equipment movement they saw in the area was strictly for our emergency search and retrieval operations, not waste disposal.” When Lenny spoke to Mongabay, more than 48 hours after the incident, his cousin was still missing. He said he was unaware there was any search&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/deadly-landfill-collapse-exposes-risks-faced-by-philippines-waste-pickers/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Torrential rains unleash landslides that kill 7 in southern Philippines</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/torrential-rains-unleash-landslides-that-kill-7-in-southern-philippines/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/torrential-rains-unleash-landslides-that-kill-7-in-southern-philippines/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Feb 2026 18:56:56 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Associated Press]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/02/20185243/AP26037359506542-e1771613791246-768x430.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=314583</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Philippines]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change And Extreme Weather, Extreme Weather, and Flooding]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Torrential rains set off two landslides that killed seven people and floods that displaced more than 3,000 villagers in the southeastern Philippines, officials said Friday. A boulder-laden landslide buried a house and killed a couple and their two daughters Friday in the coastal city of Mati in Davao Oriental province, disaster-response [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Torrential rains set off two landslides that killed seven people and floods that displaced more than 3,000 villagers in the southeastern Philippines, officials said Friday. A boulder-laden landslide buried a house and killed a couple and their two daughters Friday in the coastal city of Mati in Davao Oriental province, disaster-response and provincial officials said. Rescuers used earth-moving equipment to retrieve the bodies, according to Ednar Dayanghirang, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense. In Monkayo, a gold-mining town in Davao de Oro province near Davao Oriental, the remains of three people were dug up after their house was buried late Thursday by a landslide, Dayanghirang and other officials said. Nearly 10,000 were affected by the downpours in recent days, including more than 3,200 people who were forced to move to emergency shelters or with relatives, Dayanghirang said. Several outlying provinces and towns were forced to cancel classes and work, he said. The downpours and thunderstorms occurred well ahead of the typhoon season, which usually starts in June, and were caused by cold wind interacting with warm and moist air from the Pacific, forecasters said. About 20 typhoons and storms each year batter the Philippine archipelago, which also lies in the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are common, making the Southeast Asian nation one of the world’s most disaster-prone. By Associated Press  Banner image: Rescuers wading along a flooded street as they try to locate trapped residents when another storm earlier this&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/torrential-rains-unleash-landslides-that-kill-7-in-southern-philippines/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Why is a Philippine island now the Asia Pacific center for agroecology? Interview with Ramon ‘Chin-Chin’ Uy Jr.</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/why-is-a-philippine-island-now-the-asia-pacific-center-for-agroecology-interview-with-ramon-chin-chin-uy-jr/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/why-is-a-philippine-island-now-the-asia-pacific-center-for-agroecology-interview-with-ramon-chin-chin-uy-jr/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Feb 2026 21:38:30 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Keith Anthony Fabro]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Erik Hoffner]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/02/03211559/chin-chin-copy-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=313665</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Oceania, Philippines, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and The Philippines]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Adaptation To Climate Change, Agriculture, Agrochemicals, Agroecology, Climate Change, Environment, Food, food security, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Interviews, Sustainability, and Sustainable Development]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Ramon “Chin-Chin” Uy Jr. is a sustainable-food entrepreneur based on Negros Island in the Philippines, which recently hosted the global “good food” movement Slow Food’s first-ever regional conference in Asia and the Pacific. Held in Bacolod City, in Negros Occidental province, from Nov. 19-23, 2025, the gathering brought together farmers, chefs, food artisans and policymakers [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Ramon “Chin-Chin” Uy Jr. is a sustainable-food entrepreneur based on Negros Island in the Philippines, which recently hosted the global “good food” movement Slow Food’s first-ever regional conference in Asia and the Pacific. Held in Bacolod City, in Negros Occidental province, from Nov. 19-23, 2025, the gathering brought together farmers, chefs, food artisans and policymakers from across the region to discuss agroecology, biodiversity and climate-resilient food systems. Uy has also been named &#8220;Slow Food councilor&#8221; for Southeast Asia, after having spent nearly two decades working with organic farmers and the provincial government to advance a vision of Negros as an “organic island” — a sustainable food hub where people can access healthy, locally grown produce at fair prices without relying on imported, oil-based chemical fertilizers that undermine environmental health, farmer livelihoods and food security. That vision now encompasses an estimated 20,000 hectares (nearly 50,000 acres) of organic farmland across Negros, involving roughly 20,000 small-scale farmers and farming households, with Bacolod serving as a key urban hub linking producers, markets and institutions. Uy&#8217;s work in sustainable food systems began in 2005, when he and his wife started a composting business that converted organic waste into fertilizer. At the time, chemical inputs were inexpensive and widely used, but a subsequent spike in global oil prices exposed the vulnerability of conventional agriculture to fossil fuel dependence. That experience prompted Uy to establish an organic farm in 2006, both to demonstrate the viability of organic inputs and to build direct relationships between farmers, chefs&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/why-is-a-philippine-island-now-the-asia-pacific-center-for-agroecology-interview-with-ramon-chin-chin-uy-jr/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Philippines hosts new Asia-Pacific hub for sustainable agriculture, cuisine</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/philippines-hosts-new-asia-pacific-hub-for-sustainable-agriculture-cuisine/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/philippines-hosts-new-asia-pacific-hub-for-sustainable-agriculture-cuisine/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Jan 2026 23:16:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Keith Anthony Fabro]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Erik Hoffner]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/01/21223832/TMAP_DAY5-2005-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=313204</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Philippines, Southeast Asia, and The Philippines]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Adaptation To Climate Change, Agriculture, Agroecology, Agroforestry, Biodiversity, Business, Climate Change, Climate Change And Food, Environment, Food, food security, Genetic Engineering, Gmo, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Indigenous Culture, Indigenous Cultures, Indigenous Groups, Indigenous Peoples, Sustainability, Sustainable Development, and Traditional Knowledge]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — For five days last November, the city of Bacolod in the central Philippine province of Negros Occidental became a crossroads of food cultures from across Asia and the Pacific. The aroma of grilled seafood, fermented sauces, roasted coffee and freshly ground spices filled the air as farmers, chefs, food artisans, scientists, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — For five days last November, the city of Bacolod in the central Philippine province of Negros Occidental became a crossroads of food cultures from across Asia and the Pacific. The aroma of grilled seafood, fermented sauces, roasted coffee and freshly ground spices filled the air as farmers, chefs, food artisans, scientists, fisherfolk, Indigenous leaders, researchers and policymakers gathered to talk about seeds, soil, culture and survival. The event marked the first Asia-Pacific convergence of the global Slow Food movement, bringing together more than 2,000 delegates from 20 countries in Bacolod. The participants were drawn by shared concerns over biodiversity loss, climate change, and the future of food systems across the region. Organized by the international NGO Slow Food, which advocates for good, clean and fair food for all, in collaboration with Philippines partners, the gathering sought to strengthen regional networks around agroecology, a sustainable farming approach that integrates ecology, Indigenous knowledge, and social action, while showcasing food cultures rooted in local ecosystems. “This is a space where communities, ingredients, and ideas come together to shape the future of food,” Edward Mukiibi, president of Slow Food, told Mongabay, describing it as both a cultural platform and a venue for confronting urgent environmental challenges. Myrna Pula, a T’boli Indigenous leader from the southern Philippines, showcases heirloom rice varieties that have sustained her community and culture for generations. Image by Keith Anthony Fabro for Mongabay. Hub for &#8216;good, clean and fair&#8217; food A key outcome of the gathering was&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/philippines-hosts-new-asia-pacific-hub-for-sustainable-agriculture-cuisine/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Philippines’ newest marine protected area ‘sets inspiring example’ (commentary)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/philippines-newest-marine-protected-area-sets-inspiring-example-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/philippines-newest-marine-protected-area-sets-inspiring-example-commentary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Dec 2025 17:19:43 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Antha WilliamsLoren Legarda]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Erik Hoffner]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/12/16171052/Panaon-Island-photo-credit-Oceana-Danny-Ocampo-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=311490</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Pacific Ocean, Philippines, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[30x30 conservation target, Commentary, Conservation, Environment, Governance, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Marine Conservation, Marine Ecosystems, Marine Protected Areas, and Oceans]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Climate change is pushing coral reefs to the brink. A new scientific report warns that the world has already crossed its first climate tipping point, and reefs could face long-term decline unless global warming slows dramatically. But despair is not the only option. In the Philippines, new marine protections prove that communities and governments can [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Climate change is pushing coral reefs to the brink. A new scientific report warns that the world has already crossed its first climate tipping point, and reefs could face long-term decline unless global warming slows dramatically. But despair is not the only option. In the Philippines, new marine protections prove that communities and governments can act with urgency, creating pockets of resilience that give reefs — and the people who depend on them — a fighting chance. Nestled in the heart of the Coral Triangle, one of the most biodiverse marine regions on the planet, Panaon Island is a jewel of the Philippines’ natural heritage. Its vibrant coral reefs teem with life, forming a seascape where marine species thrive in dazzling color and size. With coral cover reaching 60% — three times the national average — these reefs provide vital habitat for marine life, from whale sharks and sea turtles to the endangered Philippine duck. Seagrass meadows and mangrove forests further enhance the island’s ecological value, while protecting the coastline from storm surges and serving as nurseries for fish stocks that sustain local communities. The reefs of the Coral Triangle are immensely rich. Image by Jeff Britnell / Coral Reef Image Bank. Despite its biodiversity, Panaon Island faces growing threats. A 21-day expedition by global ocean conservation organization Oceana revealed alarming evidence of illegal and destructive fishing, plastic pollution suffocating corals and wildlife, and infestations of crown-of-thorns starfish, an invasive species that can decimate reefs. Combined with the escalating impacts&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/philippines-newest-marine-protected-area-sets-inspiring-example-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>The vanishing pharmacy: How climate change is reshaping traditional medicine</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/natures-vanishing-pharmacy-how-climate-change-is-reshaping-traditional-medicine/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/natures-vanishing-pharmacy-how-climate-change-is-reshaping-traditional-medicine/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Dec 2025 05:39:21 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Latoya Abulu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate Change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate Change And Biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Indigenous Communities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Indigenous Peoples]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional Knowledge]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/10/19060634/Yarsa-gunbu-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=311312</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Brazil, Ghana, Global, Himalayas, Panama, Philippines, Samoa, and Tibet]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Climate Change, Conservation, Environment, Green, and Indigenous Peoples]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Gyatso Bista remembers the sacks of kutki. As a child learning to become a healer in Nepal&#8217;s kingdom of Lo Manthang, Bista would watch as heaps of the bitter-tasting herb, prized for treating fever, coughs and liver problems, arrived on horseback from the surrounding mountains. Bista is one of the few remaining practitioners of Sowa [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[Gyatso Bista remembers the sacks of kutki. As a child learning to become a healer in Nepal&#8217;s kingdom of Lo Manthang, Bista would watch as heaps of the bitter-tasting herb, prized for treating fever, coughs and liver problems, arrived on horseback from the surrounding mountains. Bista is one of the few remaining practitioners of Sowa Rigpa, an ancient Tibetan healing system used for more than 2,500 years. He remembers harvests of up to 40 kilograms (88 pounds) of the high-altitude herb. But now, the kutki (Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora) has all but vanished. &#8220;Now you barely find 5 kilograms [11 pounds],&#8221; Bista said. What Bista has witnessed in his village reflects a global crisis. More than 80% of the world&#8217;s population relies on traditional medicine for their primary health care. Yet across every inhabited continent, plants that form the backbone of traditional healing are in decline, pushed out by rising temperatures, shifting rainfall, deforestation and overharvesting. Meconopsis grandis, also known as the Himalayan blue poppy, is among many other species are gradually on the verge of extinction. Image by Conall via Flickr(CC BY 2.0). &#8220;For many common illnesses, these traditional remedies are really our first aid,&#8221; Mingay Dakias, a member of the Manobo-Dulangan Indigenous community in the southern Philippines, told Mongabay. &#8220;We usually rely on these treatments first.&#8221; A recent global review published in Frontiers in Pharmacology found that of 367 medicinal plant species studied over the past two decades, climate change has reduced suitable habitats for 106 species. Another 94 species&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/natures-vanishing-pharmacy-how-climate-change-is-reshaping-traditional-medicine/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Philippine mangroves survived a typhoon, but now confront a human-made challenge</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/philippine-mangroves-survived-a-typhoon-but-now-confront-a-human-made-challenge/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/philippine-mangroves-survived-a-typhoon-but-now-confront-a-human-made-challenge/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Dec 2025 15:56:13 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Keith Anthony Fabro]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/12/04131402/d.-Paraiso_Mangrove_Eco_Learning_Park_boardwalk_floating_cottage_Tacloban_Leyte__09-09-2022-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=310611</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Philippines, Southeast Asia, and The Philippines]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Climate Change And Extreme Weather, Coastal Ecosystems, Community Forestry, Community Forests, Community-based Conservation, Conservation, Conservation Solutions, Ecological Restoration, Environment, Environmental Law, Extreme Weather, Forestry, Forests, Infrastructure, Landscape Restoration, Mangroves, Marine Conservation, Nature-based climate solutions, Oceans, Reforestation, Restoration, Storms, Tropical Forests, and Typhoons]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Mangroves in the Philippine city of Tacloban, the area hit hardest by one of the most powerful typhoons ever recorded, have recovered and even expanded beyond their pre-disaster extent, thanks largely to community-led reforestation. But scientists caution that ongoing coastal development could threaten the recovering forests. In a recently published study, Hiroshi Takagi, a professor [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Mangroves in the Philippine city of Tacloban, the area hit hardest by one of the most powerful typhoons ever recorded, have recovered and even expanded beyond their pre-disaster extent, thanks largely to community-led reforestation. But scientists caution that ongoing coastal development could threaten the recovering forests. In a recently published study, Hiroshi Takagi, a professor at the Institute of Science Tokyo, examined mangrove recovery in the Paraiso neighborhood in the innermost part of Tacloban’s Cancabato Bay. He used satellite imagery to track the decline and rebound of mangrove canopy following the devastation wrought by Typhoon Haiyan (known in the Philippines as Typhoon Yolanda) in November 2013. He also applied wind, wave and storm surge modeling to assess the extent of typhoon-induced impacts on the forest. His modeling showed that Haiyan generated storm surges of 4.7 meters (15.4 feet), waves up to 1.3 meters (4.3 feet), and wind gusts of around 148 kilometers per hour (92 miles per hour) — strong enough to flatten the area’s mature Rhizophora apiculata mangrove trees. Satellite images also revealed a sharp drop in vegetation after the storm and minimal coastal recovery in the following three years. Growth began accelerating around 2018, and by 2023, the mangrove area had expanded even beyond pre-Haiyan levels, reaching an estimated 3.6 hectares (8.9 acres) compared to about 1.9 hectares (4.7 acres) before the storm. This rebound corresponded with reforestation efforts carried out between 2015 and 2018, when residents, assisted by NGOs and the Philippine and Japanese governments, planted some&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/philippine-mangroves-survived-a-typhoon-but-now-confront-a-human-made-challenge/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Filipinos wade through floodwaters due to sinking land, rising sea &#038; corruption</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/filipinos-wade-through-floodwaters-due-to-sinking-land-rising-sea-corruption/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/filipinos-wade-through-floodwaters-due-to-sinking-land-rising-sea-corruption/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Dec 2025 04:09:56 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jewel S. Cabrera]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Philip Jacobson]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/12/03141129/Batasan-Island-aerial-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=310476</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Philippines, Southeast Asia, and The Philippines]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change Politics, Climate Justice, Coastal Ecosystems, Corruption, Disasters, Environment, environmental justice, Environmental Politics, Flooding, Governance, Government, Infrastructure, Islands, Ocean, Politics, Sea Levels, and Social Justice]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[LOS BAÑOS, Philippines — Flooded homes and submerged roads are now reshaping life in coastal and island communities in the Philippines, showing how a combination of hazards are influencing the way communities adapt and struggle to cope with climate change. In the central Philippines, island barangays — administrative units akin to villages — in Tubigon [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[LOS BAÑOS, Philippines — Flooded homes and submerged roads are now reshaping life in coastal and island communities in the Philippines, showing how a combination of hazards are influencing the way communities adapt and struggle to cope with climate change. In the central Philippines, island barangays — administrative units akin to villages — in Tubigon town might soon be submerged due to land subsidence, brought by a major earthquake in 2013. Meanwhile, Hagonoy town, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Manila, has been suffering from persistent floodwaters due to land subsidence from excessive groundwater extraction, among other factors. Globally, around 40% of the population lives in coastal areas, according to the U.N. More than 850 million people live in low elevated coastal zones (LECZs) less than 10 meters (33 feet) above sea level, including more than 150 million living less than 5 m (16 ft) above sea level — mostly located in East and Southeast Asia, the U.N. Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) reported. As sea levels continue to rise while some lands sink, coastal and island communities alike are left to adapt and live with the floodwaters. Between 2000 and 2019, an estimated 1.6 billion people were affected by different types of flooding, threatening infrastructure and disrupting basic services, according to the U.N. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). In the Philippines, revelations of corruption linked to public-funded flood control infrastructure projects since July have sparked public outrage, prompting an anti-corruption movement and leading thousands to protest in the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/filipinos-wade-through-floodwaters-due-to-sinking-land-rising-sea-corruption/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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						<item>
					<title>‘Green’ energy transition leaves a dirty trail in the Philippines’ nickel belt</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/green-energy-transition-leaves-a-dirty-trail-in-the-philippines-nickel-belt/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/green-energy-transition-leaves-a-dirty-trail-in-the-philippines-nickel-belt/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Nov 2025 00:04:41 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bong S. Sarmiento]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/11/13230938/nickel-mining-caraga-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=309547</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Philippines, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy, Energy, Environment, Human Rights, Mining, Pollution, Rainforest Mining, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[MINDANAO, Philippines — Communities living near mining operations in the southern Philippines’ Caraga region are feeling the toll of the global energy transition, with nickel mining driving deforestation and pollution, according to a recent report. Climate Rights International (CRI), the U.S.-based NGO behind the report, highlighted harms to the environment, local livelihoods and public health [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[MINDANAO, Philippines — Communities living near mining operations in the southern Philippines’ Caraga region are feeling the toll of the global energy transition, with nickel mining driving deforestation and pollution, according to a recent report. Climate Rights International (CRI), the U.S.-based NGO behind the report, highlighted harms to the environment, local livelihoods and public health linked to nickel mines. People have also been killed or harassed for speaking out against nickel mining projects in the area, the report said. The Philippines has consistently been ranked as one of the deadliest countries for land defenders. Caraga, on the island of Mindanao, is touted as the “mining capital of the Philippines,” with 26 operating metallic mines, 23 of them nickel — a key element in batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage technologies. “Harms to local communities and the environment are being driven by the individual and cumulative activities of nickel mining projects,” CRI said. The region’s nickel production is concentrated in the provinces of Dinagat Islands, which has 10 active mines, and Surigao del Sur, with six active mines. These mines cover 24,221 hectares (59,851 acres) in the Dinagat Islands and 17,614 hectares (43,525 acres) in Surigao del Sur. Because these mines operate in close proximity to each other, CRI says it’s difficult to attribute the negative impacts experienced by frontline communities to specific companies. But according to the group’s interviews with 57 residents and workers, San Roque Metals Inc. (SRMI), Oriental Vision Mining Philippines Corporation (OVMPC) and Libjo Mining Corporation&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/green-energy-transition-leaves-a-dirty-trail-in-the-philippines-nickel-belt/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Ethanol plant spills harmful wastewater into Philippine marine reserve</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/ethanol-plant-spills-harmful-wastewater-into-philippine-marine-reserve/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/ethanol-plant-spills-harmful-wastewater-into-philippine-marine-reserve/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Nov 2025 07:20:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay.com]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/11/05071215/2025.11.03_OPI_EthanolSpillinTSPS_PR-Statement_PHOTOS_1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=308835</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Philippines, Southeast Asia, and The Philippines]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Environment, Environmental Law, Ethanol, Governance, Marine, Marine Conservation, Marine Protected Areas, Oceans, Pollution, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A chemical spill from an ethanol distillery has put one of the Philippines’ largest marine protected areas at risk. A wall retaining the wastewater pond of an ethanol distillery plant collapsed on Oct. 24, causing about 255,000 cubic meters (67 million gallons) of wastewater to flow into Bais Bay in the central Philippines, according to [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A chemical spill from an ethanol distillery has put one of the Philippines’ largest marine protected areas at risk. A wall retaining the wastewater pond of an ethanol distillery plant collapsed on Oct. 24, causing about 255,000 cubic meters (67 million gallons) of wastewater to flow into Bais Bay in the central Philippines, according to the Bais City government. The plant is owned by Philippine food and beverage conglomerate Universal Robina Corporation (URC). Bais Bay is part of the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape (TSPS), a narrow body of water between the islands of Negros and Cebu. The strait is home to about 14 species of whales and dolphins, including the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) and short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus). The strait also supports diverse habitats, including mangrove forests and coral reefs, and is an important fishing ground and tourist attraction. “[T]he beauty, bounty, and ecological integrity of Tañon Strait is under active threat of being adversely impacted by this negligent act,” marine conservation nonprofit Oceana said in a statement. “The spill can affect the nutrient cycling and food web stability of the protected area, and cause long-lasting damage to its benthic habitats, coral reefs, and seagrass beds, impacting fish and invertebrate populations.” According to authorities, preliminary assessments suggest there was “visible discoloration across North Bais Bay, posing significant risks to marine biodiversity, fisheries, and local livelihoods,” the Manilla Bulletin reported. Satellite images of the chemical spill in Bais Bay. Images courtesy of Sentinel-2L2A. Following the spill, Bais City’s&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/ethanol-plant-spills-harmful-wastewater-into-philippine-marine-reserve/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Six new tube-nosed bats described from the Philippines</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/10/six-new-tube-nosed-bats-described-from-the-philippines/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/10/six-new-tube-nosed-bats-described-from-the-philippines/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>31 Oct 2025 14:49:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay.com]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/10/31143838/Low-Res_Fig-8B-M-baletei-700x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=308648</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Philippines, Southeast Asia, and The Philippines]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Bats, Biodiversity, Conservation, Environment, Forests, Green, Mammals, New Species, Species Discovery, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Researchers have recently described six new-to-science species of tube-nosed bats from the Philippines, named after their unique nostrils that protrude from the snout. All the specimens were collected from either primary or secondary forests, currently threatened by mining and shifting agriculture, the authors write in a new study. “These bats are notoriously elusive, so the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Researchers have recently described six new-to-science species of tube-nosed bats from the Philippines, named after their unique nostrils that protrude from the snout. All the specimens were collected from either primary or secondary forests, currently threatened by mining and shifting agriculture, the authors write in a new study. “These bats are notoriously elusive, so the tube-nosed bat collection this study examined was cobbled together over many years, expeditions, and memorable experiences — one bat at a time,” Jodi Sedlock, study co-author from Lawrence University, U.S., said in a statement. For the study, the researchers examined the bodies and genetics of museum specimens of tube-nosed bats collected from various Philippine islands over the past couple of decades. Their analysis found six species previously unknown to science. All the bats are insect-eating and weigh just 4-14 grams (0.1-0.5 ounces). Alvarez’s tube-nosed bat (Murina alvarezi): Found in the southern and central Philippines, this bat has been recorded from a diverse range of forests on the islands of Mindanao, Siquijor, Bohol, Cebu and Sibuyan. The species is named in honor of James Alvarez, a young Filipino bat biologist who died in 2018. Balete’s tube-nosed bat (Murina baletei): This bat was recorded in primary and second-growth forests of Lubang, southern Luzon and Catanduanes islands. It’s named in honor of Danilo S. Balete, a Filipino zoologist who died in 2017. Hilong-Hilong tube-nosed bat (Murina hilonghilong): The largest Murina species in the Philippines, the bat has only been found in the forests of Mount Hilong-Hilong. The mountain&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/10/six-new-tube-nosed-bats-described-from-the-philippines/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Filipino survivors of deadly 2021 typhoon planning to sue Shell for damages</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/10/filipino-survivors-of-deadly-2021-typhoon-planning-to-sue-shell-for-damages/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/10/filipino-survivors-of-deadly-2021-typhoon-planning-to-sue-shell-for-damages/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Oct 2025 08:57:11 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Bobbybascomb]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/10/29084912/1GP0SU773B_PressMedia-2500px-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=308528</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Philippines, Southeast Asia, The Philippines, and United Kingdom]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Activism, Climate Change, Climate Change And Extreme Weather, Climate Justice, Environment, Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, Extreme Weather, Green, Islands, and Law]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Nearly 70 Filipinos affected by a deadly 2021 typhoon are planning to sue oil giant Shell in its home country of the U.K. for the damages they suffered. Typhoon Rai, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Odette, was one of the most devastating storms in the Philippines’ recorded history. It killed more than 400 [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Nearly 70 Filipinos affected by a deadly 2021 typhoon are planning to sue oil giant Shell in its home country of the U.K. for the damages they suffered. Typhoon Rai, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Odette, was one of the most devastating storms in the Philippines’ recorded history. It killed more than 400 people, displaced thousands of families and damaged millions of homes. The 67 plaintiffs bringing the lawsuit are all from communities in the Philippines’ central Visayas archipelago, who either lost their loved ones, their homes, or were seriously injured during the typhoon. They accuse Shell of contributing historic carbon emissions that have worsened extreme weather events like Odette and deepened Filipino communities’ suffering, according to a press release from Greenpeace Philippines, one of the NGOs supporting the plaintiffs’ campaign. The claimants are seeking financial compensation for the damages caused to them, and their legal team has delivered a legal notice to Shell, inviting a response. If Shell’s response is unsatisfactory, the team plans to file a case in a U.K. court in December. A factsheet on the case by Greenpeace Philippines notes this legal action aligns with the polluter pays principle, which recognizes “that the costs of environmental and climate change-induced harms should be borne by those responsible.” “Our demand for reparations from rich, polluting nations and corporations like Shell is just a fraction of what they owe for their climate atrocities,” Estela Vasquez, Visayas coordinator of the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice, said in the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/10/filipino-survivors-of-deadly-2021-typhoon-planning-to-sue-shell-for-damages/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Nickel mining damage near UNESCO site stirs outrage in southern Philippines</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/nickel-mining-damage-near-unesco-site-stirs-outrage-in-southern-philippines/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/nickel-mining-damage-near-unesco-site-stirs-outrage-in-southern-philippines/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Oct 2025 22:21:34 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bong S. Sarmiento]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/10/23043732/pujada-nickel-project-2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=308163</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Philippines, Southeast Asia, and The Philippines]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Deforestation, Dugong, Environment, Forests, Habitat Destruction, Mining, Mountains, Protected Areas, Rivers, Roads, Sea Turtles, Water, Whale Sharks, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[MINDANAO, Philippines — A nickel mining project in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao is facing renewed calls for closure after a recent government inspection revealed that strip mining there has stripped bare about 200 hectares (494 acres) of forest land in an ecologically sensitive area. The Pujada Nickel Project, in the province of Davao [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[MINDANAO, Philippines — A nickel mining project in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao is facing renewed calls for closure after a recent government inspection revealed that strip mining there has stripped bare about 200 hectares (494 acres) of forest land in an ecologically sensitive area. The Pujada Nickel Project, in the province of Davao Oriental, stands about 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary, a UNESCO World Heritage site and ASEAN Heritage Park. It also sits 7 km (4.3 mi) upstream from Pujada Bay, a nationally protected seascape into which several rivers and creeks within the Mount Hamiguitan sanctuary drain, including waterways affected by the mining venture. The Pujada mine is operated by Hallmark Mining Corporation and Austral-Asia Link Mining Corporation under the management of Asiaticus Management Corporation, which are all controlled by Filipino mining investor Pedro O. Tan and his family. Part of a 2004 action plan to revitalize the nation’s mining industry, the project was awarded a Mineral Production Sharing Agreement in the same year and began commercial shipments in 2016. Due to its proximity to two protected areas and the anticipated environmental damage associated with large-scale mining, the project has faced opposition for more than a decade from the community-based Macambol Multi-Sectoral Association for Integral Development, the regional environmental group Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS) and the Catholic Diocese of Mati. The Pujada Nickel Mining Project leaves a brown swathe of deforested land, sandwiched between the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/nickel-mining-damage-near-unesco-site-stirs-outrage-in-southern-philippines/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>A protected mangrove forest stands strong as Metro Manila’s last coastal frontier</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/a-protected-mangrove-forest-stands-strong-as-metro-manilas-last-coastal-frontier/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/a-protected-mangrove-forest-stands-strong-as-metro-manilas-last-coastal-frontier/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Oct 2025 19:35:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mikael Angelo S. Francisco]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/10/08144121/Mark-David-De-Guzman-One-Pawikan-Initiative-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=307231</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Philippines, Southeast Asia, and The Philippines]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Coastal Ecosystems, Conservation, Environment, Environmental Law, Fish, Fishing, food security, Forestry, Forests, Governance, Infrastructure, Mangroves, Marine Conservation, Oceans, and Tropical Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[MANILA — Spanning the coasts of two cities in Metro Manila, and referred to as the capital region’s “last coastal frontier,” Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park (LPPWP) is a critical site of both ecological and economic importance. Primarily made up of two interconnected artificial islands, Freedom Island and Long Island, this thriving wetland ecosystem along Manila [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[MANILA — Spanning the coasts of two cities in Metro Manila, and referred to as the capital region’s “last coastal frontier,” Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park (LPPWP) is a critical site of both ecological and economic importance. Primarily made up of two interconnected artificial islands, Freedom Island and Long Island, this thriving wetland ecosystem along Manila Bay started out as an unintentionally formed patch of land, the product of accumulated debris from a massive expressway construction project that was completed in 1985. Four decades later, the nearly 182-hectare (450-acre) habitat continues to be a sanctuary for more than 163 local and migratory bird species — including the endemic Philippine duck (Anas luzonica) and the Chinese egret (Egretta eulophotes), both listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List — as well as 23 mangrove species and numerous types of commercially viable fish and mollusks. Recognized as a Ramsar site for its global significance, the wetland provides food and serves as a stopover for an estimated 5,000 individual birds, particularly during the peak of the migration season from August to April. “LPPWP is called Metro Manila’s last coastal frontier because it really is the last remaining functional mangrove ecosystem,” says Kisha Muaña, a conservation biologist and policy and advocacy officer at Wetlands International Philippines, emphasizing that the robust forest serves as a haven for fish reproduction. A collared kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris) in Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park. Image by Mark David De Guzman / One Pawikan Initiative. According to Muaña, thousands of fishers from&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/a-protected-mangrove-forest-stands-strong-as-metro-manilas-last-coastal-frontier/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Philippines protects coral hotspot</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/10/philippines-protects-coral-hotspot/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/10/philippines-protects-coral-hotspot/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Oct 2025 10:18:51 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sam Lee]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2017/02/23155515/GP0STQG2D-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=310723</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Philippines, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Coral Reefs, Fish, Marine Protected Areas, Oceans, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Philippines recently protected 61,204-hectares (151,200-acres) of the seas around Panaon Island, home to some of the healthiest and most climate-resilient coral reefs in the world. The waters are also rich in fish and host several threatened species such as the endangered whale shark (Rhincodon typus), the critically endangered hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), the endangered [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Philippines recently protected 61,204-hectares (151,200-acres) of the seas around Panaon Island, home to some of the healthiest and most climate-resilient coral reefs in the world. The waters are also rich in fish and host several threatened species such as the endangered whale shark (Rhincodon typus), the critically endangered hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), the endangered green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), and the endangered Philippine duck (Anas luzonica). The island and its waters are also threatened by climate change, overfishing and plastic pollution.This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/10/philippines-protects-coral-hotspot/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Study warns up to a quarter of Philippine vertebrates risk extinction</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/study-warns-up-to-a-quarter-of-philippine-vertebrates-risk-extinction/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/study-warns-up-to-a-quarter-of-philippine-vertebrates-risk-extinction/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Oct 2025 21:10:42 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Keith Anthony Fabro]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[global forests]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/10/01120233/philippine-eagle-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=306890</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Philippines, Southeast Asia, and The Philippines]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Biodiversity Crisis, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Endangered, Endangered Species, Environment, Extinction, Extinction Debt, Forests, Governance, Islands, Politics, Research, Tropical Forests, Wildlife, and Wildlife Conservation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Philippines, long recognized as one of the world’s most important biodiversity hotspots, could lose nearly a quarter of its unique land-dwelling vertebrate species unless urgent conservation action is taken, according to a new study. In a paper published in Science of The Total Environment, researchers assessed 1,294 species of amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Philippines, long recognized as one of the world’s most important biodiversity hotspots, could lose nearly a quarter of its unique land-dwelling vertebrate species unless urgent conservation action is taken, according to a new study. In a paper published in Science of The Total Environment, researchers assessed 1,294 species of amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. They calculated extinction risks and knowledge gaps by analyzing conservation status data, studying threat patterns using statistical models, and mapping species distributions with geographic information systems to identify underresearched species and their protection status. Results showed that 15-23% of land vertebrates included in the study are at risk of extinction. Amphibians are the most threatened, with 24% of species at risk, followed by mammals at 19%. Birds (15%) and reptiles (11%) fared slightly better but still showed troubling declines. “Many species are already on the brink of extinction due to multiple threats,” lead author Krizler Tanalgo of the University of Southern Mindanao told Mongabay. “Alarmingly, despite their vulnerability, many remain poorly studied and documented, leaving critical knowledge gaps that heighten their risk of inappropriate or insufficient conservation measures.” Found only in the Philippines, the near threatened Philippine tarsier (Carlito syrichta), is one of the country&#8217;s many rare and endemic  species. Image by Jeroen Hellingman via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). Endemism and overlooked species According to the study, the Philippines’ fragmented geography has fueled speciation, the process in which separate populations of a species evolve into distinct species of their own. This has resulted in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/study-warns-up-to-a-quarter-of-philippine-vertebrates-risk-extinction/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Philippine tribes revive reforestation to defy coal mining expansion</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/philippine-tribes-revive-reforestation-to-defy-coal-mining-expansion/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/philippine-tribes-revive-reforestation-to-defy-coal-mining-expansion/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Sep 2025 23:02:13 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bong S. Sarmiento]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[mining]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/09/30094140/coal-balik-lasang-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=306802</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Philippines, Southeast Asia, and The Philippines]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Coal, Energy, Environment, Environmental Activism, Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, Featured, Fossil Fuels, Governance, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, and Mining]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[SOUTH COTABATO, Philippines — It’s been three years since production began at a coal mine in the mountain village of Ned, some 1,500 kilometers, nearly 1,000 miles, south of Manila, on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. Since then, more than 2 million metric tons of deposits have been carved out of the earth, leaving [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[SOUTH COTABATO, Philippines — It’s been three years since production began at a coal mine in the mountain village of Ned, some 1,500 kilometers, nearly 1,000 miles, south of Manila, on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. Since then, more than 2 million metric tons of deposits have been carved out of the earth, leaving a wide brown scar through land once teeming with green vegetation. Since operation plans were announced, the mine has faced opposition from local Indigenous residents, farmers, and church and community organizations in the area, citing environmental and health concerns. A community consultation organized by the regional office of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), a government agency, in Lake Sebu this September revealed that resistance to the project has only hardened. Since December 2022, at least three mountainous slopes have reportedly been lost to strip mining. Coal from the mine is loaded onto heavy trucks that damage public roads, cause noise pollution, and leave coal dust pollution behind them. Community members have complained to authorities and the mine operator about the inconveniences and safety and health risks brought by coal mining, while Indigenous residents say they worry about encroachment on their ancestral lands. Activists have also raised concerns about the lack of transparency surrounding the project, noting that recent revelations make it impossible to know who even owns the companies responsible for the mining. Heavy machinery is used to pile up coal extracts beside the road in the village of Ned in Lake Sebu township,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/philippine-tribes-revive-reforestation-to-defy-coal-mining-expansion/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Typhoon Ragasa batters Hong Kong and south China after killing dozens in Taiwan and Philippines</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/09/typhoon-ragasa-batters-hong-kong-and-south-china-after-killing-dozens-in-taiwan-and-philippines/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/09/typhoon-ragasa-batters-hong-kong-and-south-china-after-killing-dozens-in-taiwan-and-philippines/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Sep 2025 11:00:26 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Associated Press]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/09/24105751/AP25267318521120-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=306500</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, China, and Philippines]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change And Extreme Weather, Extreme Weather, Flooding, Hurricanes, and Typhoons]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[SHENZHEN, China (AP) — Typhoon Ragasa, one of the strongest in years, has caused massive destruction in Taiwan and the Philippines before slamming ashore in southern China. The typhoon whipped waves taller than lampposts onto Hong Kong promenades and turned seas rough on Wednesday. In Taiwan, 17 people died in a flooded township and 10 [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[SHENZHEN, China (AP) — Typhoon Ragasa, one of the strongest in years, has caused massive destruction in Taiwan and the Philippines before slamming ashore in southern China. The typhoon whipped waves taller than lampposts onto Hong Kong promenades and turned seas rough on Wednesday. In Taiwan, 17 people died in a flooded township and 10 deaths were reported in the northern Philippines. Nearly 1.9 million people were relocated across China&#8217;s Guangdong province. Hong Kong and Macao canceled schools and flights, with many shops closed. Ragasa is the strongest tropical cyclone in the northwestern Pacific and South China Sea region so far this year. Read full reporting by Kanis Leung and Ng Han Guan, Associated Press. Banner image: A fallen tree sits inside the park in Ho Man Tin area, as super typhoon Ragasa approaches in Hong Kong, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei).This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/09/typhoon-ragasa-batters-hong-kong-and-south-china-after-killing-dozens-in-taiwan-and-philippines/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Photos: Indigenous elders push for comeback of the revered Philippine crocodile</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/indigenous-elders-push-for-comeback-of-the-revered-philippine-crocodile-photos/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/indigenous-elders-push-for-comeback-of-the-revered-philippine-crocodile-photos/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Sep 2025 19:45:01 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Giacomo d’Orlando]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Latoya Abulu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/08/13115247/10-releasing-a-juvenile-specimen-e1757620072498-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=304195</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Philippines, Southeast Asia, and The Philippines]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Culture, Endangered Species, Environment, Environmental Law, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Indigenous Communities, Indigenous Culture, Indigenous Cultures, Indigenous Peoples, Monocultures, Photoblog-reptiles, Photos, Reptiles, Spirituality and Conservation, Tropical Forests, Wildlife, and Wildlife Conservation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[DUNOY, Philippines — In the dense, tropical rainforests of the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park, an ancient predator drifts silently beneath the surface of still rivers. For Indigenous Agta elders, this reptile is not a menace, but a guardian. “We have always coexisted peacefully with crocodiles, and today I am passing on to my grandchildren [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[DUNOY, Philippines — In the dense, tropical rainforests of the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park, an ancient predator drifts silently beneath the surface of still rivers. For Indigenous Agta elders, this reptile is not a menace, but a guardian. “We have always coexisted peacefully with crocodiles, and today I am passing on to my grandchildren the same advice my parents gave me,” says Olalia Infiel, an Agta elder of Dunoy. “I often encountered crocodiles while washing clothes or bathing in the river. My parents always told me to speak to the crocodiles first and ask for their permission to share the same space.” The Philippine crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis), a severely threatened crocodile species, is staging a slow but hopeful comeback in the wild, thanks to an alliance between science, tradition and community-led conservation. Once widespread across the Philippine archipelago, the species is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Fewer than 250 individuals survive in the wild today, local conservationists say, and most are confined to these rivers and wetlands of northeast Luzon. According to local conservationists, the Philippine crocodile’s survival in recent decades is highlighting how Indigenous knowledge, when integrated with conservation science, can support efforts to protect even the most endangered species. In the mythology and folklore of Indigenous peoples such as the Agta, crocodiles play a prominent role. In many cases, crocodiles are regarded as the embodiment of benevolent ancestors, known as anito, who are venerated as personal guardians and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/indigenous-elders-push-for-comeback-of-the-revered-philippine-crocodile-photos/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Philippines protects huge coral hotspot off the coast of Panaon Island</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/09/philippines-protects-huge-coral-hotspot-off-the-coast-of-panaon-island/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/09/philippines-protects-huge-coral-hotspot-off-the-coast-of-panaon-island/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Sep 2025 15:30:47 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shanna Hanbury]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Bobbybascomb]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/09/03152636/Panaon-Island-04_photo-credit_%C2%A9-Oceana-Danny-Ocampo1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=305364</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Philippines]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change And Coral Reefs, Conservation, Coral Reefs, Endangered Species, Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, Marine Biodiversity, Marine Conservation, Marine Ecosystems, Marine Protected Areas, Oceans, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The corals around Panaon Island in the southeastern Philippines form some of the healthiest and most climate-resilient reefs in the world, and they’re now a legally protected seascape. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved the Panaon Island Protected Seascape law on Aug. 29. It creates a 61,204-hectare (151,200-acre) marine protected area within the Pacific Coral [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The corals around Panaon Island in the southeastern Philippines form some of the healthiest and most climate-resilient reefs in the world, and they’re now a legally protected seascape. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved the Panaon Island Protected Seascape law on Aug. 29. It creates a 61,204-hectare (151,200-acre) marine protected area within the Pacific Coral Triangle, a marine biodiversity hotspot that’s been called the Amazon of the Sea. The region is home to more marine species than anywhere else in the world.    “This is one of the rare places where coral reefs remain in excellent condition, and we now have a chance to keep them that way,” Von Hernandez, vice president of conservation nonprofit Oceana in the Philippines, said in a statement. In 2020, Oceana led a three-week expedition that found that the waters around Panaon Island had three times the national average of coral cover and an abundance of marine life. But the team also found evidence of destructive fishing practices and plastic pollution. The region forms part of the migration route for endangered whale sharks (Rhincodon typus), and is home to other threatened species, including sea turtles and the endangered Philippine duck (Anas luzonica). “Panaon is situated in an area known as a vital corridor for marine mammals,” said Nikka Oquias, Oceana’s marine protected area campaign lead. “Its waters are teeming with life and provide important breeding and nursery grounds for fish, allowing marine life and people to thrive.” Under the law, new speed limits for ships&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/09/philippines-protects-huge-coral-hotspot-off-the-coast-of-panaon-island/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Philippine fishers struggle as LNG ‘superhighway’ cuts through biodiversity hotspot</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/08/philippine-fishers-struggle-as-lng-superhighway-cuts-through-biodiversity-hotspot/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/08/philippine-fishers-struggle-as-lng-superhighway-cuts-through-biodiversity-hotspot/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Aug 2025 16:55:26 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay.com]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kristine Sabillo]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/07/29123757/IMG_9469-First-Gen-tanker-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=304699</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Philippines, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Animals, Climate Change, Climate Change And Coral Reefs, Coastal Ecosystems, Community Development, Conservation, Coral Bleaching, Coral Reefs, Development, Energy, Energy Politics, Environment, environmental justice, Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, Fish, Fisheries, Fishing, food security, Governance, Green, Habitat Degradation, Habitat Destruction, Habitat Loss, Industry, Marine, Marine Biodiversity, Marine Conservation, Marine Ecosystems, Natural Gas, Natural Resources, Oceans, Pollution, Resource Conflict, Saltwater Fish, Sustainable Development, Water Pollution, and Wildlife Conservation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Fishers in the Philippines’ Batangas Bay are struggling to make ends meet and feed their families as nearby coastal areas are developed into a natural gas import hub, Mongabay contributor Nick Aspinwall reported in July. Families that have been fishing in Batangas Bay for years have been asked by local officials to leave to make [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Fishers in the Philippines’ Batangas Bay are struggling to make ends meet and feed their families as nearby coastal areas are developed into a natural gas import hub, Mongabay contributor Nick Aspinwall reported in July. Families that have been fishing in Batangas Bay for years have been asked by local officials to leave to make way for the expansion of liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants in the area as the government eyes the development of a shipping “superhighway” for LNG, Aspinwall wrote. “They told me, ‘Do not be an obstacle to the development of this town,’” Wilma Abanil, a resident of the fishing village of Santa Clara, told Mongabay. The nearby Verde Island Passage is a known biodiversity hotspot and a frequent fishing location. But the construction of a large LNG terminal on the adjacent coast of Ilijan has seen armed security guards turning away fishers, who are prohibited from fishing within 300 meters (about 1,000 feet) of the terminal. Jaime Ulysses Gilera, a fisher, said he hasn’t been able to catch much fish, with the waters off Ilijan now inaccessible. He also said sediment from the plant construction have worsened the condition of the nearby corals, which are already bleaching due to climate change. According to Gilera, their fish catch has been reduced to just one-tenth of what they used to get 10 years ago. “There will be a domino effect in the marine environment,” said Jayvee Saco, head of the Verde Island Passage Center for Oceanographic Research and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/08/philippine-fishers-struggle-as-lng-superhighway-cuts-through-biodiversity-hotspot/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Community efforts yield new marine protected area in the Philippines</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/08/community-efforts-yield-new-marine-protected-area-in-the-philippines/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/08/community-efforts-yield-new-marine-protected-area-in-the-philippines/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Aug 2025 09:15:10 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kristine Sabillo]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/08/20091253/Dean-Apistar-%C2%A9-WCS.-Bitaug.-Siquijor.-9-1-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=304613</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Philippines]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Community-based Conservation, Conservation, Environment, Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, Fish, Fisheries, Governance, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Marine, Marine Animals, Marine Biodiversity, Marine Conservation, Marine Ecosystems, Marine Protected Areas, Oceans, Protected Areas, Saltwater Fish, Wildlife, Wildlife Conservation, and Wildlife Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Philippines has officially designated a new marine protected area after an 18-year campaign by local communities, fisher associations, civil society organizations and government agencies, the Wildlife Conservation Society announced Aug. 13. The newly created Bitaug Marine Protected Area (MPA), which covers nearly 150 hectares (about 370 acres), is the largest MPA in Siquijor province [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Philippines has officially designated a new marine protected area after an 18-year campaign by local communities, fisher associations, civil society organizations and government agencies, the Wildlife Conservation Society announced Aug. 13. The newly created Bitaug Marine Protected Area (MPA), which covers nearly 150 hectares (about 370 acres), is the largest MPA in Siquijor province in the Central Visayas region of the country. The MPA includes a core zone of 44 hectares (about 110 acres) and a buffer zone of 105 hectares (260 acres), according to the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), a government body. The coastal waters the MPA covers are home to a high diversity of corals, reef fish and seagrass. They also host high biomass of commercially important fish species, turtles, sharks and other marine wildlife. WCS, one of the NGO partners involved in the Bitaug MPA’s creation, said in its statement that sharks and rays are prohibited from being caught in the protected area, unless for research purposes. It added the MPA’s management framework will allow ecotourism activities such as snorkeling and diving, with the revenue invested back into the community and local conservation efforts. WCS and the PIA both credited the successful creation of the MPA to the Bitaug Fisherfolk Association (BitFA), which will co-manage the area with the local government. “Hopefully, in time, we will truly take charge of managing and caring for our MPA. This is the beginning of what we’ve been dreaming of for almost eighteen years,” Othello Manos, president of BitFA, said in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/08/community-efforts-yield-new-marine-protected-area-in-the-philippines/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Philippines’ new forest policy wins business backing but alarms green groups</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/philippines-new-forest-policy-wins-business-backing-but-alarms-green-groups/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/philippines-new-forest-policy-wins-business-backing-but-alarms-green-groups/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Aug 2025 11:18:27 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Keith Anthony Fabro]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Dilrukshi Handunnetti]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/08/19111511/indigenous-village-philippines-forest-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=304514</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Philippines, Southeast Asia, and The Philippines]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Business, Climate Change, Climate Change Policy, Conservation, Environment, Environmental Law, Environmental Policy, Environmental Politics, Forests, Governance, Government, Greenwashing, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Industry, Land Rights, Law, Logging, Politics, Protected Areas, and Tropical Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[MANILA — The Philippine government has rolled out a sweeping forest land reform that officials say will attract investment while promising sustainability. The initiative, dubbed the Sustainable Forest Land Management Agreement (SFLMA), was launched June this year by the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Officials tout it as a major shift in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[MANILA — The Philippine government has rolled out a sweeping forest land reform that officials say will attract investment while promising sustainability. The initiative, dubbed the Sustainable Forest Land Management Agreement (SFLMA), was launched June this year by the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Officials tout it as a major shift in forest governance, but the policy has already sparked support and criticism alike. The policy consolidates seven existing tenure instruments — each previously covering specific land uses like agroforestry, industrial timber plantations or grazing — into a single, 25-year renewable production-sharing agreement. This streamlined mechanism allows multiple land uses within a designated forest area, from reforestation and ecotourism to conservation and commercial ventures. Raphael Lotilla, secretary of the DENR, said the SFLMA aims to unlock the economic potential of the country’s vast forest estate while ensuring environmental safeguards are in place. “The SFLMA represents a major shift in how the Philippines manages its 15.8 million hectares [39.04 million acres] of forest lands,” he said at the launch event in Metro Manila, adding that the policy is designed to reduce red tape, encourage sustainable investment, and provide direct benefits to forest-dependent communities. But even before the ink dried, the new framework drew strong reactions from civil society. While major businesses praised the agreement as a pragmatic step toward sustainable growth, environmental groups warned it could accelerate forest degradation, displace Indigenous peoples, and open the door to greenwashing by corporations seeking to profit from land-based climate schemes. Nida&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/philippines-new-forest-policy-wins-business-backing-but-alarms-green-groups/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Filipino communities use vast variety of endemic plants for health: Study</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/filipino-communities-use-vast-variety-of-endemic-plants-for-health-study/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/filipino-communities-use-vast-variety-of-endemic-plants-for-health-study/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Aug 2025 17:58:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Keith Anthony Fabro]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Latoya Abulu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/08/12083428/Momordica_charantia_24042014_2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=304095</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Philippines, Southeast Asia, and The Philippines]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Biodiversity And Medicine, Conservation, Deforestation, Environment, Ethnobotany, Health, Indigenous Communities, Indigenous Culture, Indigenous Cultures, Indigenous Peoples, Medicinal Plants, Medicine, Plantations, Traditional Knowledge, Traditional Medicine, Traditional People, and Tropical Forests]]>
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											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the forested highlands of Mindanao Island in the southern Philippines, Mingay Dakias knows exactly where to find medicine — not in modern health clinics but in the leaves, roots and vines that grow wild around his community. Taught by his father, who learned from the elders before him, Dakias brews certain plants into teas [&#8230;]]]>
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							<![CDATA[In the forested highlands of Mindanao Island in the southern Philippines, Mingay Dakias knows exactly where to find medicine — not in modern health clinics but in the leaves, roots and vines that grow wild around his community. Taught by his father, who learned from the elders before him, Dakias brews certain plants into teas to treat stomachaches and mixes others with coconut oil to treat wounds and rashes. “For many common illnesses, these traditional remedies are really our first aid,” said 65-year-old Dakias, a member of the Manobo-Dulangan Indigenous community in Sultan Kudarat province. “We usually rely on these treatments first and only go to the clinic or hospital when an illness becomes very serious.” Dakias lives hours from the nearest paved road — much farther from a hospital. Like many Indigenous communities across the Philippines, the Manobo-Dulangan rely on forest medicine for everyday health care. This includes alingatong (stinging nettle, Dendrocnide meyeniana), a deciduous shrub whose broad, hairy leaves conceal a sting, yet locals mix it with coconut oil to create an ointment for easing muscle and joint pain, urinary problems and skin conditions such as eczema. But researchers say this knowledge system is increasingly at risk, not only from threats like deforestation but also from limited government efforts to formally document, support and integrate traditional medicine into national health and conservation programs. Locals mix alingatong (stinging nettle) with coconut oil to create an ointment for easing muscle and joint pain, urinary problems and skin conditions such as&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/filipino-communities-use-vast-variety-of-endemic-plants-for-health-study/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>As gas giants move in, Philippine fishers fight for their seas and survival</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/as-gas-giants-move-in-philippine-fishers-fight-for-their-seas-and-survival/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/as-gas-giants-move-in-philippine-fishers-fight-for-their-seas-and-survival/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Jul 2025 15:50:40 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nick Aspinwall]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/07/29104210/IMG_0963-Joseph-Vargas-and-Wilma-Abanil-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=303300</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Philippines, Southeast Asia, and The Philippines]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coastal Ecosystems, Community Development, Conservation, Development, Disasters, Environment, environmental justice, Environmental Law, Extreme Weather, Fish, Fisheries, Fishing, food security, Gas, Governance, Habitat Degradation, Industry, Marine, Marine Biodiversity, Marine Conservation, Natural Gas, Oceans, Pollution, and Resource Conflict]]>
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											<description>
							<![CDATA[BATANGAS CITY, Philippines — On a hot October afternoon near the largest oil and gas port in the Philippines, the roar of a nearby natural gas tanker drowned out conversations on the shore. Wilma Abanil and her husband, Joseph Vargas, have called Santa Clara, a fishing village on the shore of Batangas Bay, home for [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[BATANGAS CITY, Philippines — On a hot October afternoon near the largest oil and gas port in the Philippines, the roar of a nearby natural gas tanker drowned out conversations on the shore. Wilma Abanil and her husband, Joseph Vargas, have called Santa Clara, a fishing village on the shore of Batangas Bay, home for decades. Standing outside a neighbor’s house, the couple explained how their home was destroyed by a tropical storm, Trami, that passed through days before. Storms aren’t the only threat they face. They live in a shipping channel touted by the government as a superhighway for liquefied natural gas. Local officials have repeatedly asked them to leave, to allow for the LNG companies whose plants surround them to expand their operations. “They told me, ‘Do not be an obstacle to the development of this town,’” Abanil says. “We want a simple life, but they say we are an obstacle.” When Mongabay caught back up with Abanil and Vargas in May this year, they still hadn’t been able to save up enough money to rebuild their home. The couple and their seven children have all but lost their main source of income. “There are no fish to catch in this area because of the power plant,” Vargas says. About 20 kilometers (12 miles) away, fisherman Jaime Ulysses Gilera has seen his daily catch dwindle. Off the coast of Mabini, a peninsula world-famous for its muck diving, he says the health of corals has deteriorated since a nearby&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/as-gas-giants-move-in-philippine-fishers-fight-for-their-seas-and-survival/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Across Southeast Asia, Indigenous women challenge extraction and erasure</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/across-southeast-asia-indigenous-women-challenge-extraction-and-erasure/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/across-southeast-asia-indigenous-women-challenge-extraction-and-erasure/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Jul 2025 21:04:50 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Hướng Thiện]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/07/25170629/Lumads-hold-slogans-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=303181</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Southeast Asia, Thailand, and The Philippines]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Conflict, Environment, Environmental Activism, Environmental Law, Gender and Conservation, Human Rights, Indigenous Communities, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Law, Protests, Social Conflict, Social Justice, Violence, and Women in conservation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A few years ago, Maria Suryanti Jun had idea little idea of what an environmental defender was. Nor did she have any intention of becoming one. But since December 2022, when a geothermal project was approved for her community in Poco Leok — which sits on an active volcano in the Indonesian province of East [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[A few years ago, Maria Suryanti Jun had idea little idea of what an environmental defender was. Nor did she have any intention of becoming one. But since December 2022, when a geothermal project was approved for her community in Poco Leok — which sits on an active volcano in the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara — Maria, now 46 years old, stepped up to advocate for her hometown. In a series of demonstrations against the project, funded by German development bank KfW, Maria and other Indigenous residents have protested what they feel is a lack of transparency from the project developers. This includes scant consultation with the community about the project and its environmental and cultural impacts. Today, Maria is one of the most prominent faces of the Poco Leok movement. But, as a woman and an Indigenous person, she has encountered numerous obstacles in her journey as an activist. Indigenous communities face disproportionately high levels of poverty and are also likely to be disproportionately affected by extractive projects, due to poverty, social marginalization and cultural and economic links to nature. In Southeast Asia, the rights and status of Indigenous communities are often not fully recognized by national governments. Women, meanwhile, are often doubly disadvantaged within and outside of their communities, due to traditional gender roles and limited opportunities for education or self-development. Maria and other women from Poco Leoka are at the forefront of opposing is an expansion of the controversial Ulumbu geothermal plant. Image courtesy of&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/across-southeast-asia-indigenous-women-challenge-extraction-and-erasure/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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