In 2016, I was trying to set up community-based programs around Luzon. One forest community had beautiful landscapes, but I noticed that my local tour guide was actually a charcoal maker, which was illegal in the protected watersheds. We have lost 90% of our primary old growth forest since 1900 — our century-old trees have disappeared.
“Why are you cutting trees to make charcoal? Isn’t that illegal?” I said to him in Filipino. He responded, “When my grandfather was young, he saw lowlanders come into our ancestral land and cut trees for lumber and charcoal. They all became millionaires from this. Why can’t we do the same as this is our ancestral land?”
This answer surprised me — it was a fair response as the world had taken advantage of natural resources to the point where they may disappear forever while putting our climate at risk.
The world has been shattering records for strength of storms and intensity of heat waves as humanity continues to do extractive business as usual. As economies grow, more carbon dioxide is produced and released into the atmosphere, and more resources — trees, water, soil, rare earth are mined or used up. However, we are reaching a tipping point as we can no longer afford to continue in this way, because it will only speed up climate change. Fortunately, the Philippines has many indigenous groups that it can work with to help build sustainable and regenerative economies.
Many of the big businesses in the Philippines created financial wealth through mining, lumber and the development of large cement complexes we call urbanized cities. However, there are other ways to create wealth that can also heal the planet. My team at Make A Difference (MAD) Travel has been working with the Aetas in Zambales since 2016 and the Dumagat in Antipolo since 2018 to build economies that take care of nature.
Our first initiative revolves around ecotourism which places nature and community culture at the center of the experience. Local food is cooked in bamboo, wild chicken and forest herbs are used to provide a unique dining experience. Trekking and hiking through valleys, rivers and mountains are a highlight of the program and we plant forest trees, fruit trees, herbs and pick up trash during these programs. Since 2016, our communities have hosted thousands of guests and the income they receive is usually 2 to 3 times more per day than what their farming work can provide while providing an avenue for them to sell their products.
The second economy we are building is agroforestry, where fruit and nut trees are planted around or alongside forest trees. Some of these productive trees prefer shade and so they are a perfect match for the larger forest trees. We have been able to plant over 63,000 trees, with another 25,000 to be planted within 2024.
The Philippines imports millions of kilos of cashew a year from Vietnam and China — and so our communities are growing their own cashew to cater to local markets. Some of the trees planted in 2020 are already blooming and there is a robust local market bidding for these products.
Herbal teas have also emerged as a source of income for the community that highlights their medical plant knowledge and allows them to sell products all year round. Flavors such as bamboo, banaba, guyabano, coffee leaf, anonas, among others, are unique and can help provide Philippine tea drinkers with new flavors instead of the usual Chinese, Japanese, Indian, and United Kingdom teas.
As the trees grow, flowers bloom, and the communities are able to harvest forest honey which is a valuable product that is also usually imported when you check supermarket supplies.
Finally, we have coffee which also loves growing beside other trees. Our country doesn’t produce enough beans for itself, but we could, if we can expand our agro forest programs to different communities in the Philippines.
In each of the sample industries — cashew, coffee, honey, tea — valuable income is generated for the local community while catering to Filipino tastes. Even better is that we can cover idle land with trees that can fight climate change while building our local economy so that we don’t have to be reliant on imports, and money can circulate within the country.
When you combine ecotourism with agroforestry, a lot of wealth can be generated while taking care of our forests. The recent floods and landslides within Rizal caused by Carina and Enteng are a combination of heavy rain, and the disappearing forest cover of the Sierra Madre. As Filipinos, we have a choice — do we make money, risk our lives, and destroy nature? Or do we build an economy that enhances and takes care of the environment? The choice is ours, but I believe the tastier economy with honey, tea, coffee and cashews is more exciting.
If you’d like to learn more about MAD Travel, please visit, www.madtravel.org – Rappler.com
Rafael Ignacio S. Dionisio is the co-founder and president of Make a Difference (MAD) Travel, a social enterprise focused on sustainable tourism and community development. He was recognized as one of the RVR Siklab Awardees for 2024, honoring his impactful work in partnering with the Aeta community to build forests, support local farmers and entrepreneurs, and promote environmental conservation. Dionisio is also a co-founder of several other sustainability-focused organizations, including The Circle Hostel, The Plastic Solution, and Seed Nation. raf@madtravel.org
