From promises to action: What 2026 must deliver for Philippine conservation

Many Filipinos will likely agree that the current state of affairs has left the nation feeling tired, frustrated and deeply disheartened.

- BILLIE DUMALIANG

Exacum loheri is a rare plant species rediscovered in Masungi after 130 years

If 2025 taught us anything, it is that environmental protection can no longer remain a “nice-to-have.” It is our shield, our safety net and a critical source of long-term stability. When ecosystems fail, communities follow, along with livelihoods and future opportunities.

By many measures, 2025 was a difficult year for nature in the Philippines.

Manila Bay continued to lose its once-iconic horizon. Environmental defenders faced mounting pressure. Communities were battered by floods that exposed the fragile state of watersheds, weak land-use planning and the persistent shadow of corruption. Even renewable energy projects — vital to climate action — were at times poorly sited in environmentally sensitive areas, forcing communities into a false choice between clean energy and biodiversity protection, when responsible governance should allow both to coexist.

Still, we have not learned enough.