Zambales Mountain Range

Address: Zambales

Description: In Zambales, the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991 resulted in the displacement and separation of the Aetas from their ancestral land, depriving them of their lifeblood. Today the spirit of “Kainumayan,” the name by which the Aetas referred to FPE’s enabling and supporting intervention, once again fuels their drive for self-sufficiency and well-being.

Status: Closed

Site Profile Summary

Ecosystem Types	Montane Forest
Area	41,317 hectares
Biogeographic Highlights	The Zambales Mountain Range is part of the Zambales-Bataan biodiversity corridor. Mt. Pinatubo, the volcano that produced the second largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century, is found within the range.
Flora	A center of flowering plant endemism, the area is home to several of the most attractive Philippine wild orchids with high commercial value. Sixty-six plants are recorded to be unique to the Zambales Mountain Range, including the flowering plant, Ardisia zambalensis.
Livelihood Resources	Agriculture, Agroforestry
Indigenous Peoples	Once the stewards of the mountains of the Zambales range, the Aetas have become hesitant occupants of hastily-built resettlement villages, following the aftermath of the 1991 Mt. Pinatubo eruption.

Threats

• and clearing practices, particularly in upland areas, that result in the fragmentation of habitats.

• Incidents of wild fires resulting from reckless clearing methods.

• Slash-and-burn farming – while sustainable in the past – has become untenable when migrant settlers compete with Aetas for good farming areas. This influences the spread of illegal logging activities.

• Mining of talc in the area, coupled with sand and gravel quarrying poses a potential threat.

• Poaching of faunal and floral resources, as well as illegal logging and charcoal extraction, reduce the project area’s biodiversity value dramatically.

FPE-funded Projects and Initiatives

Project	Grant Type, Strategy	Duration	Implementing Partners
Indigenous Knowledge-based Community Planning Activity With the Maporac Aeta Organization In Zambales	Small, Site-focused, Constituency-building	2011-2012	Koalisyon Ng Katutubong Samahan Ng Pilipinas, Inc. (KASAPI)
Mam-Eh (Sharing) Action Plan for The First Aeta Forest Foods Festival and Develoment Forum	Small, Advocacy	Apr-Jul 2011	Kabalikat Sa Kaunlaran Ng Mga Ayta, Inc. (KAKAI)
Byaheng Ayta: Tracing Roots Reaching Hopes	Medium, Constituency-building	Feb-Aug 2008	Paaralang Bayan Ng Mga Ayta Sa Zambales
Resource Valuation Training for Mining-Affected Communities	Small, Constituency-building	Dec 2008-Mar 2009	Philippine Association for Intercultural Development, Inc. (PAFID)
A Shift Towards Area-Specific Intervention through Strategic Planning for Six Priority Sites (Zambales)	Large, Site-focused, Proactive	2006-2007
Pagsasaayos ng Silid-Aklatang Ayta	Small	2005	Lubos na Alyansa ng Katutubong Ayta sa Sambales (LAKAS)
Integrated Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Management of Ancestral Domains Project (IBC-Sumad) or Kainumayan	Medium to Large, Site-focused	2001-2004	Pederasyon ng mga Aytang Samahan sa Sambales (PASS)
Zambales Mountain Range Community-Based Resource Management Project	Small, Site-focused	2001	Pederasyon ng mga Aytang Samahan sa Sambales (PASS)
Showcasing Aeta Community-based Resource Management Towards Sustainable Development	Small, Responsive Grant	1998	Lubos na Alyansa ng Katutubong Ayta sa Sambales (LAKAS)
Nature Conservation Fund Co-financing	FPE Special Project	1997
Community-Based Seed Production and Propagation of Indigenous Agroforestry Species (IAS)	Responsive Grant	1993-1995	Volunteers in Scientific and Technological Assistance, Inc. (VISTA)
Nature Awareness Conservation Camp	Responsive Grant	1993

Key Outcomes

• Strengthened four CADC-holding POs, which led to the Pederasyon ng mga Aytang Samahan sa Sambales (PASS).

• More than a development project and management scheme, Kainumayan embodied the aspirations of the Aeta people. It is a Sambal term roughly translated as self-sufficiency and well-being not just of the people, but also of the natural environment.

• The co-financing and co-management structure of the Kainumayan project helped re-establish a sense of franchise and proprietorship among the Aeta communities, who had previously been displaced by the Pinatubo eruption.

• Capacity-building and training on leadership, organizational management, and advocacy.

• Assistance in alternative livelihood projects which helped lessen the communities’ impact on the natural resource base.

• Strong advocacy and action aligned towards the reclamation of ancestral domain rights for the Aetas, including the drafting and finalization of the Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development Protection Plan (ADSDPP).

• PASS has successfully turned over leadership and management of conservation initiatives to the younger generations. Now equipped with their own office, PASS members are also adopting modern technologies and integrating them into their daily lives.

• Radyo Ayta initiated.

• Establishment of networks and linkages (LGUs, other organizations and institutions).

• Advocacy actions have contributed to temporarily stalling the ongoing mining operations in Maporac.

Reference

• Foundation for the Philippine Environment. 2004. Sustaining Biodiversity Conservation Initiatives: Site Focused Projects 2003. Quezon City, Philippines: Foundation for the Philippine Environment.