Woman fights to save the last rainforests of the Philippines

Woman fights to save the last rainforests of the Philippines

Introductory note: The series "Call to Earth" by CNN is dedicated to reporting on the environmental problems with which our planet is confronted, as well as the solutions for it. The Perpetual Planet Initiative of Rolex has a partnership with CNN to draw attention to central sustainability issues.

beauty and variety of the Palawan Islands

Palawan, an island cluster in the Philippines, impresses with its breathtaking beauty. With its underground rivers, turquoise coasts and lush mountain peaks, it has earned the title "Last ecological border of the country". This paradisiacal archipelago does not remain unnoticed. The entire area of Palawan, which includes more than 1,700 islands, was made by the UNESCO As a biosphere reserve , two World Heritage Sites: the Puerto-Princesa underground Nationalpark and the tubbataha-reate .

threats for nature

Despite these awards, Palawan continues to see threats from mining, illegal trade in wild animals, climate change and deforestation. Loud global forest watch Palawan recorded the greatest loss of tree coverage in the country between 2001 and 2023.

a passionate commitment to nature conservation

The conservationist Karina May Reyes, short of KM for short, has set itself the goal of protecting the archipelago group with a small team from the non -profit organization Center for Sustainability PH (CS). "Palawan is very special because there are untouched landscapes from the mountains to the reef - mountains with old trees to coral reefs that have incredible biodiversity, regardless of whether you are looking for mantarochets, whale sharks, tiger sharks or turtles," she says Cnn.

The struggle for the last rainforests

Early covered rainforests, for example 90% of the Philippines , she explains. Today are less than 3% intact Forests remained - most of them are in Palawan. "Our mission is to preserve the last remaining 3% of the untouched rainforest of the Philippines by setting up national parks," she says.

The project Cleopatra’s Needle

The team's first project began in 2014 with the aim of protecting Cleopatra’s Needle, one of the mystical mountains on the main island of Palawan, near the provincial capital Puerto Princesa. This mountain, named after the obelisk -shaped natural stone on its highest peak, is one of the oldest and most diverse forests of the Philippines and offers a safe habitat for endangered and Endemische Spezies and the pangoline.

collaboration with the indigenous population

It is also the traditional area of the indigenous Batak tribe, which rely on the natural resources of the surrounding forest to ensure its livelihood. Reyes explains: "If the indigenous Batak were no longer here in the country, we would no longer have the forests we have. Their care of the area is a blessing because we continue to have access to these forests and they have not been destroyed."

provision for the future

In close cooperation with the Batak, CS collected data about the area and argued why it should be protected. The hard work paid off in 2017 when the entire area of Cleopatra’s Needle - more than 41,000 hectares - was explained as a critical habitat. This award includes A prohibition for the breakdown of minerals, wooden harvest, breakdown and trade with wild animals.

The focus on the Sultan Peak

Now your attention is focused on the Sultan Peak, a mountain in the southern part of the island of Palawan, which has no formal protection. The area is rich in nickel, an important part of clean energy technologies such as electric vehicles, wind turbines and solar panels, and is threatened by mining. "The area we try to protect comprises about 8,000 hectares of untouched rainforest, which is also an incredible water catchment area, and it has been completely unstuded so far," says Reyes.

The challenges in nature conservation work

The CS team wants to document the flora and fauna of the region to justify protection and has mobilized a network of civil scientists to take photos of plants and animals. These can be uploaded to a database on the platform inality, an open source tool for the identification of species. "We are building a database on the biodiversity of this region," says Aubrey Jayne Padilla, program coordinator for research at CS. "The local community is involved in the data collection ... We document everything we see on the way."

The role of politics in nature conservation

Reyes hopes that you can protect the area within three years. But even after the support of the community and the collection of various scientific data, there are challenges. "At the end of the day, if you have no politicians and decision -makers on board, there is no one who would sign this law," she says.

value and meaning of nature conservation

Reyes sees part of her role in communicating the wider value of the area. "It is so important to protect these areas, not only for biodiversity, but also to protect vulnerable communities from climate change," she says.