Project BiodiverCitizen

13/08/2026

05/08/2026

01/08/2026

We stand in solidarity with the people of Sibuyan Island and all those working to protect its globally significant forests, watersheds, and extraordinary biodiversity.

As one of the world's most biodiverse countries, the Philippines possesses a natural advantage that few nations can claim. This is not something we can afford to take for granted. Our remaining biodiversity strongholds are strategic national assets that underpin water security, disaster resilience, sustainable livelihoods, and future economic opportunities. The choices we make today about these landscapes will shape the country's long-term competitiveness, resilience, and well-being. Every decision carries an opportunity cost, especially when irreplaceable ecosystems are at stake.

For decades, Masungi has worked to conserve and restore degraded landscapes, and through this work we have seen firsthand how difficult, costly, and painstaking it is to rebuild what has been lost. Healthy forests and intact watersheds sustain communities with clean water, reduce disaster risks, strengthen climate resilience, and provide habitat for species found nowhere else on Earth. Once these ecosystems are degraded, the consequences are often irreversible within a human lifetime.

The question before us is not whether the Philippines should pursue development, but what kind of development best serves the nation's future. Development that protects natural capital, respects ecological limits, and strengthens communities is ultimately more compatible with long-term prosperity than development that diminishes the very resources upon which our future depends.

We recognize the deep commitment of local communities, environmental advocates, scientists, and concerned citizens who continue to speak up for Sibuyan Island. Their efforts reflect a shared belief that places of exceptional ecological importance deserve decisions guided by sound science, transparency, respect for local communities, and the long-term public interest.

We stand with all those working peacefully to ensure that Sibuyan Island's irreplaceable natural heritage endures for present and future generations.

25/07/2026

14/07/2026

14/07/2026

🐦 𝙀𝙮𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙚𝙨! 🌆

𝗕𝗶𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 2026 is back!

Get ready to look up and count birds once again through the Haribon Foundation's 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁. Help document the feathered neighbors that share our cities and communities wherever you are, 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚! 🏡

💻 July 22 | Free Webinar: Birds in the City Monitoring Activity
📝 July 25–26 | Nationwide Bird Count

Every observation matters. Every perched bird counts. 💚

Stay tuned for more details!

05/07/2026

PRESS RELEASE | Groups Draw Attention to Cigarette Butts, the “Everywhere Plastic and Toxic Waste”

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As the plastic-free month is observed this July, the EcoWaste Coalition and the Action on Smoking and Health (ASH-Philippines) joined the “No Butts Day” to draw attention to cigarette butt pollution and the need for resolute measures to protect the people and environment from addictive and injurious to***co products and their byproduct litter, such as discarded plastic filters, the “everywhere plastic and toxic waste.”

Originating from the Netherlands, the No Butts Day’s volunteers across the globe collected and counted discarded cigarette filters to show the scale of the problem and to push for a ban on plastic filters to curb plastic and microplastic pollution. Last year, volunteers picked 964,000 cigarette butts from streets and nature, including 6,900 discarded filters collected by EcoWaste Coalition and ASH-Philippines.

A global ban on plastic cigarette filters is needed, the Dutch Plastic Cigarette Butt Collective said, as cellulose acetate-based butts 1) are not biodegradable and will break down into microplastics and nanoplastics, 2) are laden with hazardous substances that can leach into the environment (“one single cigarette butt can pollute up to 1,000 liters of water”), and 3) are poisonous to wildlife such as birds, fish and other animals who mistake butts for food and thus ingest plastic and hazardous chemicals.

[Access the full press release in the comments.]

05/07/2026

𝐓𝐨 𝐔𝐁𝐄 𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐔𝐁𝐄? 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧...🍠

Ube (𝘋𝘪𝘰𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘢 𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘢) is considered as one of the most important staple crops in the Philippines. Apart from its sweet flavor included in our favorite desserts, ube has now become an international food phenomenon and often compared to the matcha hype.

Despite its surgence, ube lies a growing environmental crisis. Increasing impacts brought by strong typhoons, changing weather patterns, and rising temperatures continue to argue the future of ube not only on demand but also on climate resilience and agricultural sustainability.

📖 Read the full article here: https://www.ateneo.edu/features/2026/06/klimaube

🌏 Browse previous Klim@ articles here: https://www.ateneo.edu/ais/mcr/featured-projects/klima

🎨 Art template by: AIS Interns Intersession SY23-24

𝘌𝘙𝘙𝘈𝘛𝘜𝘔: 𝘈𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘴. 𝘞𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵! 𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘜-𝘉𝘌! 𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦!