What’s happening around the world about climate? Selected moments from the collection of Reevaluation Counseling leader Russ Vernon-Jones and shared by local Omni member Dorothy Marcy
#222 Indigenous youth protecting forests in the Philippines
Indigenous youth in the southern Philippines are keeping alive an ancient
forest monitoring practice known as “panlaoy” to help protect ecosystems on
the slopes of a biodiversity-rich mountain. Panlaoy requires immersion in
the forest, where participants observe, document and assess the condition
of the ecosystem and any threats to it. It includes spiritual practices and
passing on traditional ecological knowledge and forest management practices
from one generation to another, as well as learning about the people’s
collective struggle for land and self-determination. Throughout the world,
the land management of indigenous peoples is a model of sustaining all
life.