Background

As the Philippines accelerates its transition to renewable energy (RE) to combat climate change and meet global and national targets under the Paris Agreement, we recognize and support the shift away from fossil fuels toward renewable energy sources, which are replenished at a higher rate than they are consumed. However, the expansion of renewable energy infrastructure, alongside destructive developments that encroach upon critical ecosystems and extractive industries including mining -- that have long driven deforestation and biodiversity loss -- must not come at the cost of further ecological degradation, especially in a country like the Philippines - one of the world’s 17 megadiverse countries and most vulnerable to climate change impacts.

We express grave concern over the increasing trend of constructing wind farms in and affecting forested areas or sites with high biodiversity and potential for forest restoration, such as but not limited to protected areas (PAs) and Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs). Forests and other natural ecosystems and the biodiversity they host are our country’s first line of defense against climate impacts -- regulating water flow, preventing floods and landslides, stabilizing soils, and sequestering carbon. The recent flooding incidents brought about by the successive typhoons Tino and Uwan, which devastated countless vulnerable communities, serve as a stark reminder that the cost of neglecting our forests is measured in lives, livelihoods and undermined resilience.

As part of its renewable energy expansion, the Philippine government has green-lit a total of 291 wind energy projects as of 30 April 2025, the majority of which are still in the pre-development phase, which involves securing necessary clearances and conducting detailed studies, among others. Twenty-one of the approved projects are currently in the development or construction phase, while seven are already in commercial operation. Among the awarded projects are the 90 MW Rizal Wind Power Project located in Antipolo and Tanay, Rizal and General Nakar, Quezon (currently in pre-development phase); the 128 MW Tanay Wind Farm Project also in Antipolo and Tanay, Rizal (development phase); and the 36 MW Nabas Wind Power Project in Nabas, Aklan (already in commercial operation).

These examples are situated in or near important forests, watersheds, and protected areas, notably the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape, the Kaliwa Watershed Forest Reserve, and the Presidential Proclamation 1636 sites in the Sierra Madre in Luzon and the Northwest Panay Peninsula Natural Park in Panay. 

While we recognize the urgent need to transition to renewable sources of power to address the climate crisis, this transition must not come at the expense of irreplaceable biodiversity and the rights and well-being of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. 

Impacts of RE projects on forests and biodiversity

• RE projects in forest lands require cutting and clearing of these areas, which impair watershed functions such as erosion control and reduce forest resilience. Tree cutting has already begun in Infanta, Quezon, for the transportation of turbine blades to Rizal. The removal of forest cover in a watershed forest reserve threatens water supply and flood regulation services which are critical for both upstream ecosystems and downstream urban areas like Marikina and Metro Manila in Luzon, or Malay and Boracay Island in Aklan.

• These areas host threatened and endemic species. In the Sierra Madre, the Vulnerable Tanguile (Shorea polysperma), Endangered Yakal (Shorea astylosa), and the Critically Endangered Haring Ibon (Pithecophaga jefferyi) among others will be affected. In Panay the Endangered Dulungan hornbill (Rhabdotorrhinus waldeni) is down to its last stronghold in forests where wind projects are constructed and planned. All species mentioned cannot be found anywhere else in the world except the Philippines.

• Construction of RE also requires road building and increased vehicle and personnel movements related to site maintenance. Construction in biodiversity-rich areas, would result in longer-term degradation of habitats, leading to further disruption of critical ecological processes.

• Noise, vibration, and blade movement from wind turbines pose a threat to wildlife, especially birds and bats, which are highly sensitive to disturbances and collisions,.

• Barrier effects, or blockages created by construction of RE projects, can impact movement and migration routes of species, preventing them from reaching feeding or breeding areas.

  
  

Impacts on host communities

• Projects that proceed without thorough consultation with affected stakeholders violate their rights to informed participation and decision.

• Ongoing construction and excavation activities of wind power projects can still affect water quality of rivers. In Aklan, the expansion of the Nabas wind project (Phase 2) has been associated with heavy siltation of the Napaan and Nabaoy watersheds, turning rivers brown and disrupting potability and impacting residents.

• Construction projects can affect forest-dependent communities that rely on forests for ecotourism, water, forest products, and cultural integrity. These projects now threaten communities with livelihood loss, restricted access, and environmental uncertainty.

• The absence of clear benefits for host communities raises questions about the equity and fairness of the energy transition.

  
  

These impacts show how purportedly “green” projects in sensitive landscapes can undermine biodiversity, ecosystem services, and the resilience of both ecosystems and local communities when implemented without community inclusion and ecological safeguards.

Forested and biodiversity-rich areas, especially those under legal protection or community-led stewardship, must not be sacrificed in the name of sustainability.

We assert that the expansion of renewable energy must be guided by these principles:

• Biodiversity-first approach - Renewable energy infrastructure should be sited outside biodiversity-rich and ecologically-sensitive areas such as key biodiversity areas, important bird and biodiversity areas, among others. These areas are critical ecosystems, and together act as the country's nature-based solution in response to climate change.

• Respect for legal conservation frameworks - Protected areas (PAs), ancestral domains, indigenous communities conservation areas (ICCAs), critical watersheds, and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) areas must remain off-limits to industrial development.

• Equity and inclusion - Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs) must be consulted, involved, and respected through Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), when applicable.

• Just transition - Climate action must ensure that biodiversity and vulnerable communities are not collateral damage in the race for decarbonization. The no-harm principle also emphasizes that efforts to address the climate crisis must not cause environmental damage or harm to others, whether across borders or within local communities.

• Science-based planning - Renewable energy projects should be guided by ecological assessments and ideally, national land use policy, which the Philippines has none, to avoid conflicts between conservation and development.

  
  

What is at stake

If allowed to proceed unchecked, these projects could set a dangerous precedent: that protected areas and rich natural ecosystems - especially Key Biodiversity Areas - are negotiable when renewable energy interests are at play.

What is at stake is more than patches of forest, but the living systems that regulate climate, sequester carbon, provide clean water, sustain biodiversity, and support sustainable community livelihoods. Healthy forests and the biodiversity they host are our first line of defense against climate impacts such as floods and landslides, and losing them would directly undermine the resilience of the communities and ecosystems alike. We also risk losing decades of hard-earned conservation gains, trust, and community-led restoration work that sustains and protects everyone. These ecosystems are the very foundations of our resilience to the climate crisis.

Over the last century, we have lost most of our forests - shrinking to just 24% of our land area. What remains are the last strongholds of our natural heritage, home to the last remaining Philippine Eagles and the Dulungan hornbills, and countless other unique and threatened species. These critical ecosystems that had long been readily available and free, continue to support millions of Filipinos and buffer communities from climate hazards. 

Yet, these same areas are now under growing threats from unregulated development, including renewable energy projects planned and situated in critical ecosystems such as forest habitats. To lose more of these forests would mean losing the very ecosystems that protect and sustain us.  

We must move toward a nature-positive future, where solutions to the climate crisis do not come at the cost of our remaining forests and watersheds. A truly nature-positive future means developing responsibly and sustainably so that both people and nature can thrive together for generations to come.

Our position and recommendations

We affirm that climate action and biodiversity protection are mutually reinforcing, not mutually exclusive. We call for a just and ecologically sound transition to renewable energy. Climate solutions must not repeat the extractive and exclusionary practices of the past. Conservation and climate action are not opposing goals. They must go hand in hand. 

We urge the government, particularly the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Energy (DOE), and Local Government Units (LGUs), to:

• Not allow renewable energy (RE) projects or other infrastructure development to encroach on protected and biodiversity-rich areas like the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape, the Kaliwa Watershed Forest Reserve, and PP 1636 in the Sierra Madre, or the Napaan and Nabaoy watersheds in the Northwest Panay Peninsula Natural Park.

• Enforce existing environmental laws and conservation frameworks including the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 2018 (E-NIPAS) RA 11038 and the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) RA 8371, which provide rules regarding construction in or near conservation areas and ancestral domains.

• Mandate that renewable energy projects should be located or constructed in degraded lands, industrial zones, or offshore areas that do not overlap with critical habitats such as terrestrial and marine protected areas, migratory species routes, or forest regeneration zones, and to amend rules to ensure that potential downstream and transboundary impacts of RE projects are fully assessed and mitigated.

• Amend DOE Circular 2018-09-0027, or the Establishment and Development of Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ) in the Country, particularly under Section 1 on identifying candidate RE Zones, to exclude ecologically and socially sensitive areas, in addition to protected areas, from energy development and prioritize equity, biodiversity, and long-term sustainability.

• Commit to nature-positive solutions within the energy transition, such as distributed solar, microgrids, and agroforestry-integrated energy systems, and other approaches that restore and protect ecosystems while meeting renewable energy targets.

• As NIPAS consultations proceed, they must include a rigorous, data-driven review of Protected Area management and restoration gaps. The National Greening Program should also be reassessed to ensure it is community-led, inclusive, and centered on native species restoration through strong collaboration with credible CSOs and IPLCs. Policies for both NIPAS and NGP must enforce strict standards for siting renewable energy projects to safeguard ecosystems and support long-term forest restoration.

• Push for the passage of two separate, but complementary policies:

• National Land Use Act: To provide a holistic framework for rational land allocation and management, including forests and watersheds, integrating biodiversity, disaster-risk reduction, climate adaptation, and IPLC rights; and

• Sustainable Forest Management Act: To ensure long-term, equitable, and ecologically-sound use of forest lands through community management, and integrate watershed-based planning and enforcement measures that maintain adequate forest cover and vital ecosystem services.

  
  

Conclusion

The Philippines must urgently transition away from fossil fuels, but not at the cost of forests, watersheds, biodiversity, and community rights. Climate action without ecological justice is neither sustainable nor just. Poorly sited renewable energy projects risk becoming drivers of ecological damage and social conflict where watershed integrity and community rights are compromised.

Conserving biodiversity and leaving ecosystems intact means protecting our natural defenses against climate change and other environmental threats. Forests themselves are nature-based solutions due to functions such as storing greenhouse gases, slowing water runoff, and many other roles beyond climate and flood control.

Conversely, poorly planned renewable energy projects in biodiverse areas will release more carbon while giving way to further encroachment on these natural defenses. Such projects could eventually increase our overall climate vulnerability, while destroying the natural heritage of Indigenous Peoples and all Filipinos.

As a conservation organization, we call for a renewable energy future that is nature-positive, biodiversity-friendly, and rooted in community rights. The Philippines must transition away from fossil fuels, but not at the expense of irreplaceable terrestrial and marine ecosystems, or the livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Poorly sited RE projects, as with other destructive activities including mining, risk releasing more carbon, degrading natural defenses, fueling social conflicts, and increasing vulnerabilities. Climate action must restore ecosystems, uphold rights, and build resilience—we cannot solve one crisis by deepening another. The energy transition must honor both people and the planet.

References

• United Nations https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-renewable-energy 
• Pratiwi S. and Juerges N., 2020. Review of the impact of renewable energy development on the environment and nature conservation in Southeast Asia
• Department of Energy https://legacy.doe.gov.ph/renewable-energy/awardedwind?q=renewable-energy/awardedwind
• Bošnjaković, M.; Hrkać, F.; Stoić, M.; Hradovi, I. Environmental Impact of Wind Farms. Environments 2024, 11, 257. https://doi.org/10.3390/ environments11110257
• As reported by the Infanta People’s Council, Haribon members, and fellow conservationists including Wild Bird Club of the Philippines, and the Philippine Native Plants Conservation Society, Inc.
• Responsible Energy Initiative. 2024. Renewable Energy to Responsible Energy A Call to Action – https://www.forumforthefuture.org/rei-philippines-call-to-action-report
• Reid K., Baker G. B., and Woehler E. J., 2022. An ecological risk assessment for the impacts of offshore wind farms on birds in Australia.
• Masden, E. A., Haydon, D. T., Fox, A. D., Furness, R. W., Bullman, R., and Desholm, M. 2009. Barriers to movement: impacts of wind farms on migrating birds. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 746 – 753.
• Drewitt, A. L. and Langston, R. H. W. 2006. Assessing the impacts of wind farms on birds.
• As reported by communities living in and downstream of Napaan and Nabaoy watersheds in Aklan.
• Department of Environment and Natural Resources Forest Management Bureau. 2020. Philippine Forestry Statistics. https://forestry.denr.gov.ph/fmb_web/about-fmb/statisticses/
• Department of Energy Circular No. DC2018-09-0027. https://legacy.doe.gov.ph/sites/default/files/pdf/issuances/dc2018-09-0027.PDF