Walking for our forests and wildlife

HEIRS TO THE PLANET Toledo National High School students learn about forest conservation during the Northwest Panay Peninsula Loop on Foot conservation walk on March 4. —CONTRIBUTED

The Philippines is a global hot spot of threatened, endemic species. The Northwest Panay Peninsula Natural Park (NPPNP) in the northwest section of Panay Island, is one of the largest contiguous low-elevation forest landscapes remaining across its range, and is home to the critically endangered Visayan warty pigs and the Walden’s hornbill.

World Wildlife Day was celebrated last March 3, highlighting the wealth of wild flora and fauna and their intrinsic value to the people and the planet. This year’s theme, “Wildlife Conservation Finance: Investing in People and Planet,” was a call to all stakeholders to fund and invest on conservation actions, and for conscientious citizens to contribute to preserving, conserving, and protecting the country’s wildlife.

However, significant constraints remain in accessing enough funds and obtaining investment support for biodiversity conservation. The global biodiversity financing gap is currently estimated at some $711 billion per year .

And yet, this financing gap is also an opportunity for small local conservation organizations like PhilinCon (Philippine Initiative for Conservation of Environment and the People) to shift to more innovative conservation financing models, such as community-based eco-financing, by harnessing the power of private partnerships and collaborations. Social financial instruments can help tap sustainable funding by engaging and empowering local partners, particularly the youth.

HOMEGROWN RICHES Wildlife mural depicting Panay’s indigenous fauna at Malay National High School —CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

PhilinCon’s conservation core values rest on these intersections of ecological and social protection. If we want to make our conservation efforts work, we must proactively engage and enhance the economic benefits of communities, particularly those on the periphery of forests and protected areas.

Northwest Panay is home to various wildlife that play significant roles in maintaining a balanced and healthy ecosystem, from the Visayan warty pig or baboy talunon to the Negros bleeding-heart dove or banatad.

To rally support for the local ecosystem, the PhilinCon team under the Darwin Project, together with supporters and advocates, launched the Northwest Panay Peninsula Loop on Foot for five days, from March 3 to 7, with participants bringing the message of conservation to schools and communities along the way.

The partnership and collaboration of the organization with various social actors across five municipalities in Antique and Aklan, the edges of the protected area, underline how important these points of collaboration are to conservation awareness and actions. The message was clear to all: Preserving our forests is preserving our future.

The author is executive director of the Philippine Initiative for Conservation of Environment and the People (PhilinCon).