The environmental and social impact of oil palm expansion on Palawan UNESCO Man & Biosphere Reserve (The Philippines)
Geo-tagged report by ALDAW (Ancestral Land/Domain Watch), a member of the ICCA (Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas) Consortium
“A shared aspiration of our indigenous communities in Palawan is to nourish culture and traditions in our own ancestral territories through a sustainable management of our natural resources, so to ensure the continuation and transmission of a wealthy culture in a bountiful environment, while confronting and taking advantage of ‘modernity’ in our own terms. The entrance of oil palm corporations into our indigenous territories and community conserved areas is hindering and jeopardizing this basic and legitimate aspiration while impoverishing our people to an unprecedented level”. Artiso Mandawa (ALDAW Chairman)