Laudato Si’ Animators in Mindanao caring for the tree growing activity at Sitio Langag Reforestation Site. Photo: Columbans JPIC Mindanao
The Provision of Forests:
International Day of Forests is celebrated annually on March 21st to raise awareness on the importance of forests. This year the theme focuses on how forests help drive economies by generating jobs and providing food systems for billions of people worldwide. At community level, forests provide a primary source of income for families, nutrition for growing children, and in these times of economic, political, and environmental stress, forests stand with a quiet fortitude that reminds us to be strong in the face of adversity.
Forests provide essential eco-systems of biodiversity, mitigate climate change through carbon absorption, regulate temperatures, and the roots of its trees hold soil together, and the decomposition of plants and animal life releases nutrients back into the forest floors and rivers which go to sea and nourish marine life.
Yet 10 million hectares of forests are destroyed each year with tropical rainforests shrinking at astounding rates and with it the world’s most powerful carbon sinks that help regulate global temperatures. 80% of global forest losses are attributed to unsustainable food systems through agricultural expansion and livestock farming, which are among deforesting activities financed by international banks to the tune of $119USD billion.[1]
But there is hope! 54% of the world’s remaining forests are cared for by indigenous people and local communities. These are stewards of some of the world’s most bio-diverse and ecologically rich forests in the world which benefit from indigenous wisdom and practices that help cultivate, sustain, and protect forests.
People of the Living Mountains:
The Higaonon, whose name means “people of the living mountains,” are an indigenous community residing in the mountain ranges of north-central Mindanao in the Philippines. Holding a deep spiritual connection to the land they have inhabited for generations, the Higaonon people have historically worked to protect their ancestral home from external threats.
After being displaced by logging companies in the 1950s, they successfully fought to retain their territory. However, from the 1980s to the 1990s, they faced a new challenge when they were persuaded to plant exotic species on their lands. Lured by promises of high profit, the Higaonon converted vast hectares of their ancestral domain into monocrop tree plantations, fundamentally altering the landscape they had long cared for.
The decades of logging and the introduction of exotic species for monocrop plantations have left the region's landscape barren and in need of urgent restoration. The devastating consequences of this environmental degradation became tragically clear in recent years when the mountains experienced typhoon-level flooding. These increasingly violent floods, exacerbated by the continuous logging, have not only wiped out countless trees but have also extended tragedy to the lowlands, resulting in thousands of lives lost and millions of pesos in damages.
Can a Forest be Reborn?
To counter these threats and help their forests heal, the Higaonon people venture up into the higher parts of the mountain slopes where they collect seeds of indigenous tree species and grow them carefully into young trees inside the affected forests below. As the trees grow the Higaonon people commit five years to tending and nurturing each tree as a rebirth of their forests begin.
Clearing operation of the Gmelina offshoots within the Sitio Langag Reforestation site. Photo: Columbans JPIC Mindanao
“We are not planting trees just for the sake of checking the box of doing something for the environment. Tree Growing is an act of planting and caring for young trees to make sure they reach 5 years old - the age, where a tree can survive on its own, having settled in its new home without human disturbance.” – Marjorie Engcoy
Former Columban Lay Missionary Marjorie Engcoy, who now serves as the Columban JPIC (Justice, Peace & the Integrity of Creation) Animator in Mindanao, works closely with the Higaonon people on this initiative. Elaborating on the "Seeds of Change" tree-growing project, Marjorie explains that more than 2,000 trees—the majority being indigenous to the land—have already been replanted in the forest sites of Sitio Langag and Sitio Canaan in Dansolihon. The project is a partnership with 27 Catholic schools in the UK, facilitated through JPIC-UK Coordinator James Trewby, which began in January 2024. These schools have committed to supporting the Columban-Higaonon Tree Growing Project for five years.
Members of the Archdiocesan Youth Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro joined Baylan Roy during a ritual of thanksgiving and asking for blessing before the tree growing activity at Sitio Langag reforestation site. Photo: Columbans JPIC Mindanao
It is hoped that the partnership will plant not only trees but also seeds of awareness, compassion, and solidarity with communities like the Higaonon—who are on the frontlines of deforestation, a crisis that also threatens to gradually erase their identity, culture, and dignity. As one student wrote in a letter to the Higaonon, "We are one family following Christ, learning together, making a difference." Another echoed, "Never stop believing. No one will block our path to protect the earth. We will go on. The future of the world is in our hands." (A Parish’s solidarity with the Higaonon people and creation).
Project Volunteers Joebert and Nap on their way to do their regular monitoring of young trees within the Sitio Langag Reforestation site. Photo: Columbans JPIC Mindanao
Protecting Forests Equals Protection of the Future:
The story of the Higaonon people and their partnership with Catholic schools in the UK demonstrates that the rebirth of a forest is possible when different communities unite in purpose. For generations, the Higaonon have lived as faithful stewards of their ancestral lands, and through initiatives like the "Seeds of Change" project, they are now actively restoring the indigenous trees that once thrived there. Crucially, this work is understood as tree growing rather than mere tree planting. As Marjorie Engcoy explains, this means the Higaonon are not simply putting trees in the ground for the sake of having done something for the environment; they are committing to five years of care for each young tree, ensuring it will survive and settle into its new home before it can stand on its own.
Under the canopy of the Sitio Canaan reforestation site.. Photo: Columbans JPIC Mindanao
This five-year dedication reflects a profound commitment not only to the environment but also to preserving the Higaonon identity and culture, which are inextricably linked to the health of the mountains. However, this work of reforestation is not an obligation belonging to the people of the hinterlands alone; it is also the responsibility of those in the lowlands, who have experienced the tragic consequences of deforestation through devastating floods and loss of life.
Both communities, highland and lowland, must recognise their shared fate and work together to heal the land. As the letters from students affirm, we are one family, and the future of the world rests in our collective hands. Only by joining forces can we ensure that the forests - and the people who depend on them - are protected for generations to come.
Adi Mariana Waqa (Regional Partnerships Coordinator) & Marjorie Engcoy (Columban JPIC Mindanao Animator).
Related links
- 1 - https://fsc.org/en/blog/deforestation-facts
