Globally, the world's Key Biodiversity Areas have been found to be within Indigenous Ancestral Domains.
The Sierra Madre Mountain Range, the longest mountain range of the Philippines and one of the country's last biodiversity strongholds, is no exception.
At the center of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range is the province of Aurora, where almost 70% is still forested. The province is home to four different indigenous groups: the Agta, the Alta, the Dumagat, and the Egongot. The remarkable biodiversity of the Sierra Madre is primarily nurtured by these groups through their traditional knowledge, systems, and practices.
The Sierra Madre currently faces threats to its biodiversity. Indigenous partners report illegal logging, wildlife poaching, and massive conversion of forests into agricultural lands among others as the leading cause of the biodiversity decline. This has cultural and economical repercussions for them as their lives have depended upon the forests and the seas since time immemorial.
Daluhay works with the four Indigenous groups of Aurora towards the establishment and management of their Indigenous Communities Conserved Areas.