Rewriting the story: reclaiming stewardship through community-led forest restoration and species conservation in the Philippines

Rewriting the story—reclaiming stewardship through community-led forest restoration and species conservation in the Central Panay Mountains (CPM) Key Biodiversity Area (KBA). Reimagining our relationship with shifting ecologies, challenging entrenched power dynamics in conservation paradigms. Instead of viewing communities and locals as helpers or secondary stakeholders, the goal is to empower them as primary agents of change. By filling the socioeconomic gap and shifting away from climate doomsday narratives, we embrace the hope rooted in community—in collaboration, in solidarity—finding our way amidst the current state of ecological injustice. Our approach, to humanize conservation—integrating cultural perspectives alongside scientific research and pedagogy. We seek to enhance ecological resilience and foster a sense of shared responsibility for the ecosystem and the forest within the CPM KBA—and this story starts at home.