News published: 22 July 2026

Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), together with the Philippines’ Department of Environment and Natural Resources Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB) and the Makiling Botanic Gardens (MBG) of the Makiling Center for Mountain Ecosystems (MCME), recently co-hosted the “Multi-species Conservation Planning Workshop for Threatened Philippine Trees”.

The event, held at the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study in Research and Agriculture (SEARCA) conference facilities from 22-26 June 2026, brought together over 60 stakeholders from across the country representing the academe, government agencies, non-government organisations, funding institutions, media, creatives, and the private sector.

Throughout the week, participants built upon existing frameworks such as the Philippine Plant Conservation Strategy and Action Plan (PPCSAP) and National Action Plan for Ecosystem Restoration and Species Extinction Prevention (NAPERSEP) to determine specific actions that could be translated into concrete, achievable projects at national and regional levels. Six priority sites from the provinces of Aurora, Palawan, Negros Occidental, Leyte, Dinagat, and Tawi-tawi were chosen from among the country’s Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) as target pilot areas, with representatives from the corresponding local government units, universities, and peoples’ organisations invited to lead discussions.

Natasha Peters from the Conservation Planning Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN-CPSG) facilitated the workshop, with support from Yvette Harvey-Brown, Greetha Arumugam, Florence O’Sullivan, and David Ples of BGCI.

The workshop was generously funded by Fondation Franklinia, represented by Project Officer Thomas Gelsi; it included a presentation on the MBG’s Franklinia-funded project for conservation of two threatened endemic palms, Pinanga bicolana and Areca ipot (part of BGCI’s Global Trees programme), as well as a tour of the garden’s nursery containing seedlings of the two species.

Other highlights of the event included the Welcome Dinner on the 22nd and the Socials Night on the 24th, where messages were delivered by the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) Chancellor, Dr. Jose V. Camacho, Jr., and MCME Director Dr. Lerma S.J. Maldia. In addition, as part of the MBG’s 63rd Founding Anniversary, a book launching was held during the Socials Night for “Towns of Blooms: Floral Heritage of Philippine Tourism Destinations”, authored by former UPLB Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs, Forester Roberto P. Cereno.

The full report containing the workshop’s primary outputs is scheduled to be published by the end of the year.