Indigenous Filipinos fight to protect biodiverse mountains from mining

NARRA, Philippines — At the foothills of the Victoria-Anepahan Mountains in the Philippines’ Palawan province, the Indigenous Tagbanua have lived with the rhythms of nature for generations. They rely on the lush landscape for everything they need, from food and water to nontimber products. But their forest and way of life are under threat as mining companies covet the mountains for their nickel and other mineral resources, which are highly sought after for the global transition to renewable energy.

In the southern Palawan municipality of Narra, eight mining exploration permit applications are currently listed as “under process” by the country’s mining authorities. Collectively, these applications, all of which overlap with the Victoria-Anepahan Mountains, cover 16,619 hectares (41,066 acres). Permits for another 46,847 more hectares (115,761 acres) have also been applied for in neighboring municipalities that overlap with the range.

Despite being among the Philippines’ poorest groups, the Tagbanua are standing firm against the enticing promises of “development and progress” being promoted by the mining companies.

“The Victoria-Anepahan is of utmost importance to us,” Tagbanua chieftain Ruben Basio told Mongabay in February, sitting beside their tribal hall surrounded by trees. “The Victoria-Anepahan has been cherished ever since the time of our ancestors. And until now, as descendants following in their footsteps, we remain committed to its conservation, ensuring it remains unharmed by anyone.”

The mountain range covers 164,789 hectares (407,202 acres), straddling 31 villages in Puerto Princesa, the Palawan capital, and the southern provincial municipalities of Aborlan, Narra and Quezon. Ancestral domains, land recognized under Philippine law as belonging to Indigenous peoples, make up 136,007 hectares (336,081 acres), or 83% of the entire range.

There are more than 100 Indigenous households under Basio’s care in the Narra hamlet, or sitio, of Mariwara. When Mongabay visited his community, Basio, in his 60s, was carrying a load of bagtik (almaciga resin) on his back. The day before, he’d visited his swidden farm to prepare it for rice planting. Meanwhile, his neighbors were busy thinning rattan strips in the shade of a tree, while their barefoot children chuckled as they played nearby. Besides these nontimber forest resources, they also gather and sell honey at the local market to support their families.

“We continue to care for [the mountain range]. We vehemently oppose any threat to its integrity, especially from activities such as mining,” Basio said.

The Tagbanua people’s concerns extend beyond their own welfare; they also worry about the downstream farming communities that play a crucial role in making this town, with around 87,000 residents, the rice bowl of Palawan. With the impending exploration receiving backing from the pro-extractive national government, the Tagbanua have joined farmers, women’s organizations, scientists and other community members in voicing their opposition to a project they say threatens their lives and livelihoods.

Favorable policy

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has promoted “responsible mining” as a crucial component of an economic plan geared toward green technology and renewable energy development. To enable post-pandemic economic recovery, the Marcos’s finance secretary said the administration wants to simplify the country’s mining tax regime to make it more competitive with other countries and attract foreign investors.

The Philippines is the world’s second-largest nickel supplier, following Indonesia. In the first three quarters of 2023, the country’s nickel direct shipping ore output reached 28.9 million dry metric tons, valued at 53.54 billion pesos ($952 million), marking increases of 24.1% and 13.6% respectively from the same period in 2022. Its primary export market is China, where nickel is in high demand in the stainless steel and electric vehicle sectors, both experiencing rapid growth due to the global clean energy transition in response to the climate crisis.

But the Philippines’ continued reliance on mining perpetuates ongoing conflicts over land and the environment. This is especially pronounced in Palawan and other provinces abundant in minerals, where Indigenous territories and crucial biodiversity areas often intersect, leading to tensions and disputes.

Indigenous land in peril

In a report launched in December 2023, the Manila-based think tank Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC) found that in 2023, 1.33 million hectares (3.29 million acres) of projects in or near Indigenous lands posed significant environmental risks, a net increase of 6% over the previous year. Leon Dulce, a campaigner for the LRC, attributed the surge to “mining expansion,” urging the government to safeguard Indigenous territories and bolster the acknowledgment of free, prior and informed consent, especially amid the escalating demand for energy transition metals.

Indigenous communities nationwide are pushing back against mining encroachment on their lands, including the Tagbanua, who want to block the mining before it starts.

“Once exploration begins, it’s a continuous process that doesn’t just stop at exploration but proceeds to actual mining,” Basio said. The Tagbanua, including Basio and his fellow villagers, are no stranger to this situation, having experienced it firsthand in the neighboring village of Bato-Bato. There, a mountain within the Victoria-Anepahan range, once a source of livelihood through the harvest of nontimber forest products, was opened to mining by the government more than a decade ago. “With mining’s entry, many Indigenous people lost their livelihoods as access to those areas has been restricted,” Basio said.

On Jan. 29, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), an arm of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), notified the Princess Urduja village government that Redmont Consolidated Mines Corporation had applied for a mining exploration permit. This permit, once granted, will authorize the company to prospect for nickel, cobalt, iron and other minerals across 3,735 hectares (9,229 acres) in Narra and the neighboring southern municipalities of Rizal and Bataraza, home to the Indigenous Pala’wan group.

Redmont’s exploration permit application comes after an application submitted by one in 2023, as indicated in a letter from the MGB sent to the village government on July 21, 2023. Radaza’s application seeks to explore nickel and iron over 422 hectares (1,042 acres) within Victoria-Anepahan. So far, only these two companies have approached the village government, but local officials were told by the DENR to expect visits from an additional six companies.

According to the MGB, any application to prospect within environmentally critical areas, such as ancestral territories, forest and watershed reserves, prime agricultural lands, and tourism development areas, requires consultation and consent processes with affected communities. If granted, an exploration permit is initially valid for two years and can be extended for a maximum of six years.

Basio said he’s concerned that his community might experience the same negative effects as other Philippine mining villages, such as deadly landslides and contamination of rivers, farmlands and coastal fishing grounds stemming from mining operations. “Allowing such activities will only bring more hardship to the Indigenous peoples and Christians alike,” he said. Mongabay sent messages to listed phone numbers for Redmont and Radaza, but didn’t receive any responses by the time this article was published.

Farmers, church resist, too

Further downstream are the flourishing farmlands, including those owned by 59-year-old Sammy Galolo.

“Land is crucial to us because without it, we have nothing to cultivate,” said Galolo, who’s also the president of the local farmers’ association, with about 300 members. “Equally vital for rice growing is water. These are all essential requirements for us to plant rice and sustain our livelihoods.”

Galolo expressed concern that mining can have adverse consequences, including the loss of trees vital for soil and water retention, potentially leading to erosion and reduced water supply. “If mining were to start up there, I don’t think it would be good, because even if we say it’s ‘responsible mining,’ it still has effects,” he said. “So, it’s difficult for us as farmers. If there’s mining up there, it will surely impact us.”

In the lowland village center, Marichu Orcajada, a Tagbanua, teaches social science at a public high school, integrating lessons on social and environmental justice. Beyond her school duties, she’s also a leading voice for women’s and church groups opposing mining in her locality.

“The community loses out in mining. Why? Who benefits from mining? The capitalists and a few workers,” Orcajada, a mother to a grade schooler and a local Catholic church lector, told Mongabay after a Friday class. “The [mining] benefits here are short term. They might give a school building, offer a few scholarships, support for the school, but the big question is the long-term impact on our environment, our youth, our livelihoods.”

The teacher-activist has played a key role in leading a petition that has collected around 2,000 signatures since February, urging both local and national governments to protect their mountains from destruction amid the climate crisis that’s already triggering weather disturbances and deadly floods in town. “There should be social responsibility and accountability when it comes to mining,” Orcajada said. “We elected them to safeguard our rights and our natural wealth.”

Rather than extractive activities that deplete their natural resources, the Indigenous peoples, farmers and women emphasized the necessity of government support for their livelihoods, prioritizing initiatives such as additional farm-to-market access roads, provision of farming inputs, mechanization and marketing assistance, and the development of alternative livelihoods aligned with sustainable practices and community values.

Wildlife remains understudied

Palawan is among the few Philippine islands where large tropical forest tracts remain, with roughly half of its original cover still intact. Within this province, about 800 kilometers (500 miles) southwest of Manila, the Victoria-Anepahan region stands out for its expansive ultramafic forests, specialized flora growing in soil high in iron and magnesium but poor in nutrients like calcium and phosphorus. The region teems with wildlife and is recognized as a key biodiversity area, defined by global wildlife conservation authority the IUCN as greatly contributing to the planet’s biodiversity and overall health.

Biologist Aubrey Jayne Padilla said mining doesn’t just potentially affect Indigenous and farming communities, but also poses risks to the wildlife in the Victoria-Anepahan area. The fact that this landscape remains underresearched is even more concerning, as it suggests that some wildlife unknown to science could be wiped out as forests are cleared in search of minerals, she added.

“The flora will be the first to be affected, and we have not documented all of the flora species in the area. Since this [ultramafic] forest in Palawan is unique, species adapted to ultramafic soils are also likely unique to this habitat and would be the first to disappear,” Padilla, a National Geographic explorer, told Mongabay.

Since 2019, her nonprofit organization, the Centre for Sustainability Philippines, in collaboration with Tagbanua parabiologists, has been conducting surveys in Victoria-Anepahan. They’ve documented at least 93 species of terrestrial vertebrates, including amphibians, lizards, birds and mammals, underscoring the mountain range’s ecological significance.

Among these species, 25 are globally threatened and 39 are endemic to Palawan, including the Philippine pangolin (Manis culionensis) and porcupine (Hystrix pumila), respectively listed by the IUCN as critically endangered and vulnerable. Padilla said she’s also particularly concerned about the threatened and endemic frogs like the Philippine flat-headed frog (Barbourula busuangensis) and turtles like the Asian leaf turtle (Cyclemys dentata) dwelling in the landscape’s extensive river ecosystem.

“Besides being one of the crucial watershed areas in the municipality of Narra, many amphibian species rely on this ecosystem to survive,” she said, adding that laterites resulting from mining activities could damage these wildlife and their habitat.

Forest fragmentation is also a major concern. Many species inhabiting this area targeted for mining would need to find new homes, leading to reduced habitat availability over time, Padilla said. This, she added, could result in resource competition and ultimately diminish wildlife populations in the area.

Back in the Tagbanua community, Basio appealed for the government to keep their remaining forest standing. “Our fear is that if mining is permitted, life will become miserable for the next generations, especially the young ones and those yet to be born. They are the ones who will suffer more,” he said. “So, we hope that the next generations will inherit what we have now, where the forest remains lush and is cherished by all.”

Banner image: Basio said he’s concerned that his community might experience the same negative effects as other Philippine mining villages, such as deadly landslides and contamination of rivers, farmlands and coastal fishing grounds stemming from mining operations. Image by Keith Anthony Fabro for Mongabay.

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