The Philippines 

The primary threat to biodiversity in this hotspot is habitat alteration and loss caused by destructive resource use, development-related activities and human population pressure. These include mining and logging and land conversion for industrial, agricultural and urban development. The forests here have been reduced to only 3 percent of their original extent.

Our investment focuses on three of the highest priority areas for conservation: the Eastern Mindanao, Palawan and Sierra Madre biodiversity conservation corridors. These three areas collectively shelter 70 percent of the Philippines’ biological resources, including the largest tracts of remaining forest in the country and a diverse range of habitat types.

One of the largest remaining blocks of dipterocarp forest is found along the eastern portion of Mindanao, while the entire area of Palawan -- the fifth-largest island in the Philippine archipelago – has been declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.

The Sierra Madre Corridor is largely defined by the Sierra Madre mountain range, known as the “backbone of Luzon.” It is not only rich in species diversity and endemism, but also home to many indigenous peoples.

Our investment in the Philippines Hotspot began in December 2001 based on an ecosystem profile developed for this region with stakeholders.

The five-year investment program focused on building alliances and civil society capacity essential for the success of conservation across wide geographic areas known as biodiversity conservation corridors.

A majority of resources supported this strategic approach in the Eastern Mindanao, Palawan and Sierra Madre corridors, where 70 percent of the hotspot's biological resources are concentrated.

We also supported a hotspot-wide fund for recovery of Critically Endangered species outside of the major remaining forest landscapes, where funding had been difficult to access. This part of our program focused on the West Visayas (particularly Negros, Panay and Cebu), Lake Lanao in central Mindanao and the remaining lowland forests of Mindoro and the Sulus.

Four strategic directions guided our approach:

1. Improve linkage between conservation investments to multiply and scale up benefits on a corridor scale in Sierra Madre, Eastern Mindanao and Palawan.
2. Build civil society's awareness of the myriad benefits of conserving corridors of biodiversity.
3. Build capacity of civil society to advocate for better corridor and protected area management and against development harmful to conservation.
4. Establish an emergency response mechanism to help save Critically Endangered species.

In 2007, we completed an assessment of our $7 million investment. Major results that we helped make possible include expanding the protected area network, catalyzing policy action to strengthen natural resource management at the local and national levels, and supporting new and strengthening existing institutions to enhance good governance and transparency in decisionmaking involving natural resources.

More Maps

Key Biodiversity Areas and CEPF Investments in the Philippines (PDF - 1.3 MB)