An Indigenous basket-weaving tradition keeps a Philippine forest alive
PALAWAN, Philippines — On a fine day at the onset of the dry season, Sublito Tiblak wakes up very early to the sounds of birds. They’re perched on trees surrounding…
Articles by Keith Anthony Fabro
Keith Anthony S. Fabro is a freelance environmental journalist based in the Philippines' last ecological frontier, Palawan, an island province in the country's western part. Email him at [email protected] for comments.
New Philippine corpse flower is phallic-shaped, funky smelling — and nearly extinct
Forester Leonardo Udasco Jr. and his team were deep in the forests of the northern Philippines in 2019 when they first spotted a plant they'd never seen before: a small,…
Trafficking for traditional medicine threatens the Philippine porcupine
In the rapidly shrinking lowland forests of Palawan Island, the Philippine porcupine (Hystrix pumila) can be found under tree buttresses, foraging for fallen root crops and fruits. Endemic to Palawan and…
Philippines banks on new fisheries management system, but rollout is rocky
PALAWAN, Philippines — As darkness creeps in, the coastal waters surrounding the off-grid island of Calibangbangan become aglow with blinding lights. For the fishermen who’ve lived in this sleepy community…
Illegal logging in Philippines’ Palawan stokes fears of a mining resurgence
Pala’wan indigenous community leader Simpio Mata trudges through the natural forest of Mount Domadoway, in the southern part of the Philippines’ Palawan province, at least twice a month. He does…
Popular opposition halts a bridge project in a Philippine coral haven
PALAWAN, Philippines — Nicole Tayag, 30, learned to snorkel at 5 when her father took her to the teeming waters of Coron to scout for potential tourist destinations back in…
Surge in seizures of giant clam shells has Philippine conservationists wary
PALAWAN, Philippines — In a span of six months, Philippine environmental authorities have seized 150 tons of giant clam shells from a string of operations across the island province of…
On a Philippine mountain, researchers describe a ‘fire flower’ orchid species
A new tiny orchid species with fiery orange flowers has been discovered on a mountain peak in the northern Philippines’ Cordilleras range. The wild orchid species was named Dendrochilum ignisiflorum…
In bid to protect a Philippine pangolin stronghold, little talk of enforcement
PALAWAN, Philippines — At the heart of the island province of Palawan in the western Philippines, a verdant mountain range larger than Bangkok stands like a natural bulwark. It’s a…
Illegal plant trade, tourism threaten new Philippine flowering herbs
PALAWAN, Philippines — Deep in the forests of Palawan, the biodiverse island in the western Philippines, a plethora of plant species thrive. Many are so rare and astonishingly beautiful that…
Gray areas and weak policies mar lucrative Asian trade in live reef fish
PALAWAN, Philippines — On a sunny June morning in Taytay Bay, Jorophy Mahusay stands on a floating cage as he throws fish meal into the azure waters below, where his…
This Philippine butterfly had a mistaken identity for years, until its ‘rediscovery’
Filipino lepidopterist Jade Aster T. Badon is accustomed to traveling to some of the remotest parts of the Philippines in search of new butterfly species. In August 2019, he made…
In Philippines’ Palawan, top cop linked to assault on environmental officer
PALAWAN, Philippines — Lawyers have condemned police officers on the Philippine island of Palawan for holding at gunpoint and arresting environmental law enforcers who visited a coastal village on June…
Pandemic lockdown gives Philippine province time to rethink planned split-up
PALAWAN, Philippines — A landmark vote on dividing the biodiverse Philippine province of Palawan into three smaller provinces has been put on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s given…
No tourism income, but this Philippine community still guards its environment
PALAWAN, Philippines — On a sweltering morning in April, park manager Jose Mazo mans a motorized patrol boat that glides through the turquoise waters of Siete Pecados, a 52-hectare (128-acre)…
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