Context:

The president of the Macatumbalen Community, Nida Collado has won the 2024 Wangari Maathai Forest Champions Award for her commitment to forest conservation and community empowerment in the Philippines. 

More On the News: 

• The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) established the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), an international partnership, under which she was awarded this prize. 
• The award ceremony took place on July 26, 2024, in Rome, Italy, during the 27th Session of the Committee on Forestry (COFO).

Wangari Maathai Forest Champions Award: 

• The award was established in 2012 in memory of Kenyan environmentalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Prof. Wangari Maathai with a $20,000 cash prize.
• This prestigious award recognizes individuals for their pioneering work on community forest management, involving all forest users as well as indigenous groups.
• The Award was first given to Narayan Kaji Shrestha, leader of the Nepalese community forestry movement, in 2012.

Collado Contribution: 

• Collado leads the Macatumbalen Community Based Forest and Coastal Management Association (MBFCMA) in San Vicente, Palawan, promoting community-based conservation. 
• The group, led by Collado, has reforested 1,450 hectares and protected 400 hectares of forests since 2002.
• These actions brought back diverse wildlife and improved local living conditions, showing how sustainable methods can create positive change.
• Collado also restored mangroves by creating connected areas managed by villages. This approach helps both the ecosystem and local fishers' livelihoods.
• The community battled low seedling survival, poaching, and harmful farming, worsened by Typhoon Rai in 2021. Collado taught farmers about sustainable practices 

Philippines Deforestation Crisis 

• The Philippines lost about 10 million hectares of forests over the 20th century years. As a result, by 1988, forest cover dropped to just 18.9% of the total land area.
• The 1970s-80s saw the highest deforestation rates in the Asia-Pacific region. Commercial logging, starting in the 1980s, severely damaged natural forests.
• The formation of the MBFCMA in 1997 and their subsequent agreement to conserve 1,850 hectares for 25 years represent a critical turning point in the fight against deforestation in the Philippines. 
• Nida Collado's unwavering dedication to forest conservation and community empowerment serves as a beacon of hope. Her leadership and the achievements of the Macatumbalen community inspire others to embrace sustainable forest management practices and contribute to a greener future for the Philippines and the planet.