Aklan communities protect biodiversity in key watershed

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

The Aklan River Watershed Forest Reserve on Panay Island spans 20,544 hectares and relies on a critical resource for protection: 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,” said 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 through Project AGOS, 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 forest reserve forms a critical part of the Central Panay Mountain Range.

It is home not only to communities, but also to threatened wildlife found nowhere else in the world, including the Visayan spotted deer, Rafflesia flowers, which are among the largest flowers in the world, and the endangered rufous-headed hornbill, locally known as the dulungan.

The watershed is also Aklan province’s main water source, sustaining agriculture, food security, and the livelihoods of communities, including Indigenous peoples.

However, the forest faces mounting pressure from unregulated development, wildlife hunting, illegal logging, charcoal production, and slash-and-burn farming, which contribute to continued forest degradation and weak enforcement.

To counter these threats, Project AGOS focuses on people and their knowledge of the land.

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 communities.

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

To turn these insights into action, the AGOS team worked with more than 25 community members to train them as parabiologists, or citizen scientists, who conduct wildlife research and data collection.

Haribon is also working with two Indigenous peoples’ organizations and one farmers’ association to align conservation goals with community needs.

This progress helps ensure that communities have a seat at the table where environmental decisions are made.

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

“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 lay the groundwork for the watershed’s formal designation as a protected area.

Under the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act, protected areas are specific land or water areas set aside for their unique wildlife and environmental value and managed to keep ecosystems healthy.

Ideally, protected areas are managed by local community members and groups through a Protected Area Management Board.

“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,” Calihig said.

The collaborative effort is supported by the Reversing Environmental Degradation in Africa and Asia 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.

Brief explanation: I tightened the structure, corrected capitalization and number style, changed “Indigenous People” to “Indigenous peoples” where used generically, retained all direct quotes, and clarified ENIPAS on first reference as the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act.