The future is biodiverse and Indigenous

We already know that around the world, including here in the Philippines, Indigenous Peoples play a vital role in the conservation of biodiversity. For example, in the Philippines, 96 out of 128 key biodiversity areas are located in Indigenous Peoples' territories. This is because indigenous values, knowledge, and practices since time immemorial have guided our communities in conserving the land and resources for their own use and for the future.

The plan includes some case studies of what Indigenous Peoples are doing – their traditional practices, as well as new initiatives. Here in the Cordillera region where I come from, there is the practice of the Apayao people – it’s also practised among other ethnolinguistic groups –  they practice the “lapat” system of forest management. This has strict rules on conserving resources in the forest. For example, if someone dies,  they declare a “lapat,” which means setting aside a period where people cannot go hunting or extracting resources from the forest. This is a means both of respecting the person who has passed on and also as a way of preserving the resources.

Many of our colleagues are victims of red tagging, harassment, terrorist designation, abduction, and extra-judicial killings, all because they are fighting to protect their ancestral domains against extractive industries, displacement by destructive projects, or even some supposedly renewable energy projects.

All over the country, we really have communities that are actively defending their rights. It has become quite dangerous for those who are leading in the struggles of the communities. 

This plan mentions the issues that Indigenous Peoples face, also in terms of the laws that are in place. While Indigenous Peoples' rights are recognised here in the Philippines, the implementation of the law is problematic.

The Indigenous Peoples Biodiversity and Action Plan asserts that the rights of Indigenous Peoples should be recognised and respected in the implementation of conservation projects in the country. Just because [the state is] conserving doesn't mean that they should or can violate Indigenous Peoples’ rights. Rather, biodiversity conservation means recognition and respect for the rights of Indigenous Peoples and the contributions they make.

In Indigenous Peoples’ communities -- or example, in areas that have been recognised or declared as Indigenous Communities’ Conservation Areas (or ICCAs) they practice their customary ways of resource management. But being an ICCA doesn't mean that their rights have been recognised. There are some areas that, while they are recognised as conservation areas, communities still do not have their ancestral domain titles.

This is actually a key demand of Indigenous Peoples, that they be given security of tenure over ancestral domains through the issuance of certificates of ancestral domain titles or ancestral land titles by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples. 

It is not happening as fast as we would want. This undermines customary practices of resource management and opens up these areas for encroachment by other actors who want to profit off of the resources in Indigenous Peoples’ territories.

We started a year ago in August 2023, when we heard that the government was going to update the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. We thought, “This is an opportunity for Indigenous Peoples to make our contributions visible and our rights be recognised.”

It was also a way of bringing the gains made at the international level in the COP – where some of our representatives had been negotiating — down for implementation at the national level. Within a period of about one year, we held national roundtable discussions with the participation of about 30 Indigenous Peoples' communities and organisations, and then about 15 supporting NGOs, and other environmental groups. 

Then we had a workshop to put together all the ideas that had come out from these consultations, and we sat down to put it together into a plan that would be easy for the Filipino government to see how it could be integrated into their national plan.

We had a ceremonial turnover so that it was officially submitted to the government. This is what we're launching at COP16, that document. It's a first iteration because we plan to localize this further. We will hold more subnational consultations to make the plan even more localized to the particular conditions of the Indigenous communities around the country

We've heard of other efforts and initiatives of other Indigenous Peoples here in Asia, for example, in Nepal and Thailand. We're also inspired by what they've been able to do. Our advice is to also have parallel Indigenous-led processes, instead of just trying to get into the very limited spaces opened by our governments.

What we did here in the Philippines was to create our own space to draft our own plans, and lobby so that they were taken on board by our government.

Youth were very much part of this whole process. They've actually been the ones that are involved, like mobilizing and then helping out with technical needs, and even attending the wider activities. We're very happy with that, especially us older ones, to see a new set of young activists, young environmental defenders, very seriously taking on this role of conserving biodiversity, and seeing to it that biodiversity will continue until the future generations. 

So, for the youth out there, a really a big salute to all of them who have been so much a part of this, and who continue to really lobby for the interests of the youth, even at the global level. 

I admire their sharpness and their energy. They're quite strong when they talk to governments. They're not afraid to say what they want to say, and I think that's very good. It's something we can also learn from. They're quite brave and bold in bringing their proposals.

Our call is for people to support this plan because it's something that we really put our hearts into. So, for follow-up activities, for example, localization and making it more popular, that's where others can help – making this known to a wider audience, and also supporting local activities if they have some resources to spare.

Also, for people who can maybe exert pressure on our governments, and other conservation actors who would want to implement conservation projects: Take on the key demands of Indigenous Peoples to respect the rights to their territories and to Free, Prior, and Unformed consent in the implementation of any conservation projects. Also, pressure the government to really integrate this into the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan and its implementation.