CEPF is no longer active in this region.
The Philippines biodiversity hotspot includes more than 7,000 islands, with larger islands holding more unique species than most countries and even small islands supporting greater natural wealth than the biologically richest countries in Europe.
The primary threat to biodiversity in this hotspot is habitat alteration and loss caused by destructive resource use, development-related activities and human population pressure. These include mining and logging and land conversion for industrial, agricultural and urban development. The forests here have been reduced to only 3 percent of their original extent.
Our investment focuses on three of the highest priority areas for conservation: the Eastern Mindanao, Palawan and Sierra Madre biodiversity conservation corridors. These three areas collectively shelter 70 percent of the Philippines’ biological resources, including the largest tracts of remaining forest in the country and a diverse range of habitat types.
One of the largest remaining blocks of dipterocarp forest is found along the eastern portion of Mindanao, while the entire area of Palawan -- the fifth-largest island in the Philippine archipelago – has been declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.
The Sierra Madre Corridor is largely defined by the Sierra Madre mountain range, known as the “backbone of Luzon.” It is not only rich in species diversity and endemism, but also home to many indigenous peoples.