Forest governance policies in the Philippines are putting Indigenous territories at risk while threatening an estimated P43 trillion in ecosystem value, a new study by the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC) found.
The study said overlapping forest policies and tenurial instruments continue to encroach on ancestral domains, contributing to the loss of at least 1.5 million hectares of tree cover over the past two decades and creating potential conflicts across 2.8 million hectares of land.
Philippine forests provide an estimated P43.16 trillion in ecosystem services, livelihoods, and public health benefits, while sustaining up to 75 percent of forest-based communities and strengthening climate resilience, according to the report.
“Tenure security for indigenous territories is a critical factor in ensuring their effective customary governance of the forest landscapes they harbor. There is clear evidence that securing Indigenous tenure protects forests, yet current policy frameworks continue to sideline these rights in favor of extractive and investment-driven approaches,” said Jap Ison, associate researcher with LRC’s Research and Policy Development program.
He cited global evidence showing that “deforestation rates inside tenured indigenous territories were 2 to 3 times lower, with a 1:99 cost-benefit ratio to the generated value of carbon and other ecosystem benefits.”
The report pointed to an extractive approach in forest governance, where policies continue to favor large-scale activities such as agribusiness, mining, energy, and infrastructure over community-based systems, intensifying land conflicts and weakening Indigenous stewardship.
LRC also flagged the Sustainable Forest Land Management Agreement (SFLMA) as a policy that expands access to forest lands, including areas within ancestral domains. The framework identifies more than 1 million hectares as potential investment areas for agroforestry, plantations, infrastructure, and energy projects.
The study said the policy lacks clear mechanisms for Indigenous Peoples to exercise their right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent, while environmental safeguards remain limited or deferred.
“What we are seeing is not just overlap, but the systematic use of tenurial instruments to encroach on Indigenous territories and exclude communities from lands they have long governed. Tools that were meant for management are being used to consolidate control,” Ison said.
“In many cases, communities are not even consulted before these instruments are enforced, or are brought into processes that are misleading or imposed after the fact. They only find out that an agreement has been made when lands are scoped, or worse, when private guards prevent them from entering the area. This undermines the very principles of FPIC and allows these agreements to proceed without genuine community participation,” he added.
The report documented cases where Indigenous communities were displaced or restricted from accessing ancestral lands due to overlapping tenure instruments, with some reporting intimidation, lack of consultation, and violations of agreements.
It also found that forest biodiversity continues to decline, with more than 1,700 species classified as vulnerable, endangered, critically endangered, or extinct.
Despite these pressures, the study underscored the role of Indigenous governance in protecting forests, noting that ancestral domains already serve as de facto protection for large areas of forestlands and biodiversity.
“If forest policy is reoriented toward tenurial justice and Indigenous governance, forests can sustain the livelihoods of up to 75 percent of forest-based communities, increase household incomes by as much as 78 percent, and reduce climate-related damage such as typhoons by up to 40 percent,” Ison said.
“These figures are actually feasible, but it’s the policy mindset that pulls it in the opposite direction, and must be addressed,” he added.
