From the lessons gained in EcoSEED-1 covering Miarayon, Lapok, Lirongan, Tinaytayan Talaandig Tribal Association (MILALITTRA) in Talakag and Portulin Talaandig Tribal Association (PTTA) in Pangantucan, EcoSEED-2 expands its coverage to most Indigenous Peoples (IP) communities in Mt. Kalatungan whose ancestral territories cover most if not all the mountain’s protected areas. While equipped with the rights to their ancestral domains and the hearts to protect the forests as their habitat, these IP communities still suffer from marginalization, environmental pressures and poverty.
Thus, EcoSEED-2 aims to contribute to addressing the twin problem of environmental degradation and poverty in the support of the Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) by capacitating them, providing tools for forest protection and rehabilitation, generating economic opportunities, building partnerships with varied stakeholders and building new leader-advocates on environment through specific studies without compromising their traditional practices.
EcoSEED-2 therefore aligns itself to the new call of the times (i.) growing forests, (ii.) growing livelihood, (iii.) growing partnerships and (iv.) growing advocates.