The Baco Forest Restoration Project aims to restore degraded habitats, enhance biodiversity, and foster community resilience with the Alangan Mangyan community in Baco, Oriental Mindoro. Recognizing the Mangyans’ deep connection to their ancestral lands and invaluable traditional ecological knowledge, this project prioritizes their active participation in sustainable land management. This partnership is crucial for safeguarding forests and promoting environmental sustainability.
The project was initiated following a request from the Alangan Mangyan Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPs) in CADC 124 (ancestral domain titling ongoing) in Baco, Oriental Mindoro, submitted through the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) to the Center for Conservation Innovations Philippines Inc. (CCIPH). Funding for this project was secured from Philip Morris International (PMI).
The project focuses on 688.9 hectares across Sitios Bituin and Sinunog within CADC 124. Its objectives include assisting in recovering biodiversity, restoring degraded forest ecosystems, and improving the livelihoods of the Alangan-Mangyan community.
Over the next ten years, the project will implement a comprehensive restoration program that enhances biodiversity, addresses habitat degradation, improves ecosystem services, and fosters community resilience.