The view from Masungi is both hope and heartbreak: regrowth in one place, emptiness in the rest. An urgent question echoes: Where have the forests gone? It’s a question that hits close to home. This June, the World Resources Institute and Google DeepMind, through Global Forest Watch, revealed an...
Masungi Georeserve conservationist Ann Dumaliang is the sole Filipino chosen by the World Economic Forum to join its Young Global Leaders (YGL) Class of 2025. Thousands of entries from esteemed individuals below age 40 across various sectors compete in a rigorous process, with the Forum of YGLs...
On April 1 and 2, 2025, more than 400 people came together for the Masungi Nature Defense Camp—and what a powerful gathering it was. People from all walks of life set up tents, shared stories, sang songs, and stood side by side in defense of one of the most significant limestone ecosystems...
Community women in 35 key forest countries lack protection but work day and night to protect the world’s treasures. Laws respecting their land and forest rights are still "alarmingly weak" decades after governments worldwide vowed to advance gender equality, a report out March 2025 found....
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano has called on the Senate to look into the Department of Environment and Natural Resources' (DENR) supposed cancellation of a housing agreement within the Masungi Georeserve in Rizal. Masungi Georeserve (MB file photo) Cayetano, in filing Senate Resolution No. 1323,...
Senator Nancy Binay has expressed "grave concern" over the Department of Environment and Natural Resources' (DENR) recent announcement regarding the cancellation of its 2002 contract with Blue Star Construction Development Corporation. Senator Nancy Binay The DENR has also ordered the Masungi...
Once a land barren of trees, it is now reclaiming its natural balance. It took decades to reforest this georeserve tucked in Rizal, where land grabbers, illegal loggers are repelled by rangers and two sisters who share a passion for preservation. Their mission? To keep the threats at bay. Ann...
My recent participation at the UN Land Conference, officially known as the UN Convention to Combat Desertification and Drought (UNCCD) 16th Conference of Parties, was nothing short of productive and eventful. As a UNCCD Land Hero for 2024 to 2026, I was privileged to speak on behalf of youth...
The cold night breeze envelops you as you listen to the soothing sound of leaves swaying back and forth. To keep warm, you savor your favorite hot chocolate paired with bibingka or puto bumbong, while the conversation and laughter of friends and loved ones fill the stillness of the night. Then,...
Farwiza Farhan (Photo courtesy: Earth Island Institute) Standing up for the environment can often feel like a lonely battle. Yet, moments of connection with fellow conservationists remind us that we are not alone. When Farwiza Farhan’s team reached out, excited to visit the Masungi...
(Photo by Jilson Tiu/Time) Masungi Georeserve co-founders Ann and Billie Dumaliang have been cited in Time Magazine's Next Generation Leaders 2024 list. The title honors their work protecting the conservation area, which is home to indigenous communities, rich flora and fauna species, and...
New York Climate Week 2024 highlighted a truth often overlooked: True resilience is not just about bouncing back but evolving beyond the systems that have long kept communities, particularly in the Global South, from leading the charge on climate action. As we confront the escalating impacts...
