Jann Vinze or Javie Barcinal is a nature conservationist and storyteller, dedicated to mainstream community-led biodiversity conservation through local involvement in Antique, his home province in the Philippines. He is the founder and chairperson of Dulungan Youth, one of the foremost youth-led grassroots organizations in the conservation of the IUCN critically endangered Rufous-headed Hornbill, known locally as the ‘Dulungan’. Javie’s work emphasizes the intersectionality of economic development, intersectoral collaboration, and environmental conservation, striving to create a regenerative and equitable future for all, grounded in grassroots development. In response to the conservation challenges of the threatened Dulungan hornbill and its habitat in the Central Panay Mountain Key Biodiversity Area, which are directly linked to the lack of capabilities and opportunities for frontline communities to reforest and have stable income streams, he aims to establish a conservation hub focused on developing a program that fosters landscape leadership rooted in community-based conservation strategies. This program will promote behavioral change through alternative livelihoods, ecological education through the EcoLearning Hub and Field Museum, and assisted natural regeneration and agroforestry through the Dulungan Community Tree Nursery and Agroforestry Capability Development.Central to his restoration practice and approach is the empowerment of local communities to take ownership of conservation efforts, ensuring the long-term sustainability of these initiatives. By fostering a deep connection between communities and their natural environment, he believes that true conservation can be achieved through inclusive and holistic processes.
