About Us
Who We are
The Center for Conservation Innovations PH, Inc (CCIPH) is a nature conservation NGO. We re-imagine the conservation challenges that we face and offer solutions that explore innovative approaches that enable nature-positive action. We aim to enhance conservation practice by putting inclusive conservation science at the core of decision-making. We also make conservation work accessible to help build a constituency for nature conservation.
Vision
We dream of a sustainable world where people and nature coexist and adapt in harmony
MISSION
Our sworn duty is to help create multi-sectoral, sustainable, and innovative conservation solutions by developing science-based tools and frameworks driven by an empowered community of practitioners.
Our Approach
CCIPH’s body of work and mandate are informed by its four pillars:
We prioritize work that will Protect critically endangered species and fragile ecosystems by addressing the drivers of degradation, endangerment, and loss.
Our projects are designed to reduce the pressures on ecosystems and ecosystem services so that these ecosystems can Sustain us in the long haul.
Our solutions are anchored on strategies that will Empower communities and stakeholders and put them at the core of the designs to increase effectiveness and sustainability.
An important cross-cutting strand in our work is adaptive management. We Innovate. We always look for solutions that are fresh and cutting-edge to accelerate nature-positive change.
Making Conservation Work is our mantra and reason for being. To make conservation work means:
- We must break or go beyond the business-as-usual mindset
- We need to do more nature-positive work and strive to fortify nature
- We should reduce the pressure on our natural ecosystem
- We should protect and preserve our ecosystem services
- Lastly, we believe that effective conservation work rests on strong science, practice, and leadership
OUR HISTORY
CCIPH was established in 2015 as a direct response to the observed lack of sufficient conservation knowledge and capacity driving poor natural resources management in the country. It evolved organically from the Fauna and Flora International Philippines (FFI PH) and continued its program of work in the Philippines as an independent NGO. Its main purpose then was to help enable and accelerate the achievement of effective and sustainable biodiversity conservation. CCIPH’s founding members were among the pioneers of addressing biodiversity risks by minimizing the impact on biodiversity, ecosystems, and ecosystem services, spearheading carbon-community-biodiversity-balanced projects, forest carbon financing including Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) in the country and enhancing community resilience to disasters in the country.
OUR LOGO
CCIPH’s distinct logo shows a crow and a pitcher, which is adapted from the popular Aesop fable. A thirsty crow came upon a pitcher with water at the bottom, beyond the reach of its beak. After failing to push it over, the bird drops in pebbles one by one until the water rises to the top of the pitcher, allowing it to drink.
The fable illustrates how dire circumstance gives rise to innovation i.e. ‘Necessity is the mother of invention.’ It can also be interpreted as the virtue of persistence: The crow must drop many rocks into the pitcher before it can drink. Like its distinct logo, CCIPH advocates for an intelligent, persistent, and solutions-based approach.
CCIPH Leadership
Dr. Neil Aldrin Mallari
President and Chief Scientist
Dr. Neil Aldrin Mallari is the founder of CCIPH and currently serves as its President and Chief Scientist. He is an ecologist, a biodiversity conservation specialist, and a conservation advocate with more than 30 years of experience in wildlife conservation, habitat restoration, climate change mitigation and adaptation, strategic planning, environmental program design and evaluation, knowledge management, and capacity building. Doc A, as he is fondly called by his colleagues, has written seminal and multi-awarded publications that have become the templates for the conservation agenda of the Philippines including Threatened Birds of the Philippines and Key Conservation Sites in the Philippines.