2025 Annual Report

Growing Forests for Water and Land Productivity

In 2022, the Foundation partnered with the National Power Corporation (NPC) to strengthen watershed management within critical ecosystems that support energy and water security. This collaboration focuses on key landscapes such as the 62,309-hectare Angat Watershed Forest Reserve (AWFR), a vital source of irrigation, hydropower, and domestic water for nearly 98% of Metro Manila’s population. In partnership with WWF-Philippines, the Sustainable Agroforestry Development and Livelihood for Angat Watershed (SADLAW) project addresses drivers of forest degradation while supporting community livelihoods. It aims to rehabilitate 100 hectares in Sitios Ilas, Inuman, and Lagyo (Hotspot #4 of AWFR) through agroforestry systems integrating forest and fruit trees, abaca, and foodshed farming, promoting sustainable livelihoods while reducing pressure on natural resources.

Growing Coastal Forests for Equitable Community Benefits 

In northern Palawan, the 849.1-hectare Balisungan Marine Protected Area (MPA) in Barangay Tagumpay, Coron is divided into four zones, including the Balisungan Women-Managed Area (WMA), a mangrove forest zone that grants women preferential rights to manage intertidal resources through protection, restoration, regulated fishing, and biodiversity-friendly enterprises. Since 2024, Forest Foundation has worked with the Shalom Women’s Biodiversity Conservation Association (SWBCA), designated by the Balisungan MPA Management Council to help manage 74.8 hectares of the WMA and surrounding mangroves. Initial support strengthened women’s leadership in forest governance, followed by a 2025 phase focused on improving management systems, enforcement, and multi-stakeholder cooperation across 311 hectares of mangrove areas. To sustain these gains, SWBCA is also developing community-led mangrove ecotourism enterprises, with capacity-building provided to over 100 community members on sustainable tourism and forest monitoring. The Balisungan MPA was recognized as “Best Mangrove” at the 2025 Para El Mar Awards.

Growing Stakeholders for Habitat Conservation

Outside the Foundation’s focal landscapes, support was extended to the establishment and recognition of Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs). In 2024, the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Program declared the Biosphere Reserve of yApayaos (BRyA) as the country’s fourth biosphere reserve—an important learning landscape promoting harmony between people and nature. BRyA encompasses diverse forest ecosystems, including mossy, montane, dipterocarp, ultramafic, and karst forests, and is home to at least five Philippine Eagle territories, making it a strong candidate for Critical Habitat protection. In partnership with the Apayao Sustainable Cacao Alliance, Philippine Eagle Foundation, CSOs, the Provincial Government of Apayao, and academe partners, the Foundation supported a Research Review and Agenda-Setting Summit for BRyA. The summit strengthened multi-stakeholder collaboration and produced a 2026–2031 research agenda grounded in science and Indigenous knowledge, alongside commitments to inclusive governance and long-term conservation aligned with BRyA’s management plan and OECM recognition.

Growing Forest-based Livelihoods for Peace-building

In Southern Philippines, the Lake Lanao watershed feeds the Agus River hydroelectric complex under the National Power Corporation (NPC). Within this system is Mount Mupo (Sacred Mountain National Park), a lowland tropical forest in Barangay Papandayan Caniogan, Marawi City, which plays a critical role in protecting Lake Lanao but is threatened by siltation and nutrient pollution from surrounding farms. As communities gradually return after the 2017 Marawi Siege, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MENRE) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) identified the need to link livelihood support with watershed protection. In partnership with IKRAM Agriculture Cooperative, an agroforestry initiative was developed in Mt. Mupo, engaging residents in forest-based mushroom production and fruit tree cultivation alongside forest protection and restoration activities. Conservation agreements between communities and government partners formalize participation and help prevent illegal activities, making this initiative a pioneering model for incentive-based forest conservation tied to peace-building and ecological restoration.

Beyond SILG 2.0 

The Sustainable and Inclusive Landscape Governance (SILG) Closing Program, with the theme “Beyond SILG 2.0,” brought together the Foundation’s partners to celebrate four years of advancing inclusive landscape governance. The event highlighted shared learning, collective action among civil society, Indigenous Peoples, and NGOs, and the program’s impact in empowering communities, particularly Indigenous women, through strengthened partnerships and knowledge exchange. While marking the end of SILG 2.0, the gathering underscored that its outcomes continue to inspire renewed commitment and new pathways for sustainable and inclusive landscape governance. SILG 2.0 was co-implemented by the Foundation and the Green Livelihoods Alliance, with co-financing from Tropenbos International.

Growing with Companies for Meaningful Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Programs

Through strategic partnerships with the private sector, the Foundation mobilized approximately US$ 87,814.29 in additional funding for its grantees in 2025. These contributions advanced community-based forest management while strengthening more participatory CSR efforts with partners such as Jollibee Group Foundation, PwC AC Manila, and International Container Terminal Services, Inc.

In the Victoria-Anepahan Mountain Range (VAMR) in Palawan, private sector support sustained long-term conservation and livelihood initiatives. This included the provision of 220 gardening and planting tools from True Value (through Lotus Tools and Greenfield Tools) to forest guards and community partners engaged in restoration, agroforestry, and organic farming. Additional support included funds raised through Frankie General Store sales for Pengebiyagan it mga Pela’wan Deges ato’ Et Isugod (PPDI) to upgrade its honey processing center, and a donation from DynamIQ Enterprise Solution for essential planting tools benefiting Indigenous partner groups such as Burirao Pala’wan Tribal Association (BPTA), Nagkakaisang Palawan sa Suring (NPS), and Samahan it Mangunguma Do’t Isugod (SMDI). These tools improved efficiency and reduced manual labor in forest restoration and agroforestry activities.

Celebrating 20 Years Of Growing Together

The Foundation marked its 20th anniversary through a series of events that gathered grantees, partners, and forest conservation advocates, celebrating two decades of empowering communities to protect and restore forests across the Philippines’ critical landscapes. Key highlights included PUNLA: A Multistakeholder Forum on Nature-based Solutions (NbS), the inaugural Interlandscape Knowledge Exchange (IKEx), which fostered cross-learning on watershed management, sustainable livelihoods, community empowerment, coastal restoration, research, and advocacy, and the 20th Anniversary Night, honoring partnerships and collective impact. The celebration ended with the Sustainable and Inclusive Landscape Governance (SILG) Closing Program, which showcased four years of collaborative learning and highlighted the leadership of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in advancing inclusive, landscape-scale forest governance.

Turning Debt Into Nature-Based Solutions for Forests: Lessons from 20 Years of Grantmaking

In line with its 20 years of grantmaking, the Foundation’s experience as a debt-for-nature swap (DNS) fund manager is featured in the Handbook of Nature-Based Solutions. The chapter shares key lessons on how DNS can be transformed into a powerful financing mechanism for sustainable forest management. Overall, DNS fund management helps channel international resources directly to community-based organizations, enabling the mainstreaming of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for forests and strengthening long-term conservation outcomes.

Bringing Biodiversity to the Communities

The Foundation supported Kalipunan ng mga Liping Pilipina’s project, “From Mountain Roots to Museum Routes: Mobile Museum Boxes for Sierra Madre’s Role in Biodiversity, Conservation, Sustainability, and Resilience.” In partnership with the National Museum of the Philippines, this Sierra Madre-wide initiative builds on the earlier Mobile Museum Boxes (MMB) work in the Visayas. It expands learning spaces beyond traditional museums by bringing curated biodiversity education directly to communities, highlighting Sierra Madre’s ecological significance and the local communities who protect it through conservation and stewardship.

Communicating Science through Storytelling

In 2024, the Foundation partnered with Probe Media Foundation Inc. to conduct Kwentong Kagubatan (Forest Stories): Strategies and Good Practices for Effective Science Communication, a training workshop that equipped around 24 scientists and researcher-grantees with skills to communicate their work through credible and engaging narratives. Building on the workshop, a 52-page guidebook was developed, compiling practical tools and techniques for effective science communication. To further expand its reach, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), through the Office of the Undersecretary for Regional Operations, endorsed the guidebook to all DOST Regional Offices as a reference for communication practitioners in sharing science-based initiatives and success stories.