Local communities lead biodiversity protection in Aklan watershed

As the world marks the International Day for Biological Diversity on May 22, local conservation groups are highlighting how communities are helping protect ecosystems that sustain both people and wildlife.

The Aklan River Watershed Forest Reserve (ARWFR) on Panay Island is a massive 20,544-hectare forest watershed. Protecting it will rely on a critical resource: local and Indigenous knowledge.

“Dapat eamang nga mas tan-awon naton ro pagpabaskog it kaaeaman ag kapasidad it atong mga miyembro kaysa sa pinansiyal nga bagay dahil raya hay nagabuhay. Ag ru kaaeam, mahambae nakon nga manggad nga indi maduea kato hasta hin-uno,” shares Hon. Arth Gregorio, Punong Barangay of Panipiason in Madalag, Aklan.

(We also need to focus on building the knowledge and capacity of our members rather than on financial matters, because knowledge lasts. As I would say, knowledge is a treasure that cannot be taken away, no matter what happens.)

Gregorio is one of the community leaders partnering with the Haribon Foundation and its AGOS project or ARWFR Governance and Safeguards.

The project places residents at the center of environmental protection. By anchoring conservation work in community knowledge, Project AGOS ensures that those who live closest to the land become its primary defenders. 

The ARWFR forms a critical part of the Central Panay Mountain Range. It is not only home to people, but also threatened wildlife found nowhere else in the world: the Visayan Spotted Deer, some of the largest flowers in the world–Rafflesia flowers–and the Endangered Rufous-headed Hornbill (locally known as the Dulungan).

It is also Aklan province’s main water source, sustaining agriculture, food security, and livelihoods of communities including Indigenous People.

Unfortunately these forests face mounting pressures from unregulated development, wildlife hunting, illegal logging, charcoal production, and slash-and-burn farming, which lead to ongoing forest degradation and weak enforcement.

To counter these threats, Project AGOS focuses heavily on people and what they know. Community members from project areas—including Barangays Panipiason and Ma. Cristina in Madalag, and Barangay Oyang in Libacao—participate in workshops where they share local knowledge about natural resources in and around their neighborhoods. 

“One community explained the importance of trees for medicinal purposes. They try to take what they need for medicine but without harming the tree…” shared Ritchel Calihig, Haribon Conservation Specialist.

To turn these insights into action, the AGOS team worked with 25+ community members to become parabiologists or ”citizen scientists” conducting wildlife research and data collection. 

Haribon is also working with two Indigenous People’s Organizations and one Farmers Association to align conservation goals with community needs. This progress helps ensure that people have a seat at the table where environmental decisions are made.

“They say knowledge is power, but knowledge shared is moreso,” Haribon stated.

“The exchange of local knowledge about natural resources combined with data is even more powerful. Conservation becomes truly sustainable when communities themselves conserve and manage the natural resources they have long benefitted from.”

Local action to national policy

Haribon aims to establish the groundwork for the watershed’s formal designation as a Protected Area or PA. Under the ENIPAS Act, PAs are specific areas of land or water set aside because of their unique wildlife and environmental value, managed to keep ecosystems healthy. 

Ideally, PAs are run by local community members and groups through a Protected Area Management Board (PAMB).

“Once these Indigenous Peoples have a seat at the governance table, their traditional knowledge can inform the research lens for conservationists and contribute to the development of fully socially inclusive policies,” added Ritchel.

This collaborative effort is supported by the Reversing Environmental Degradation in Africa and Asia (REDAA) Program, which is funded by UK International Development from the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office and managed by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED).