December, 30 2025
In the landscapes of Antique, where the Central Panay Mountains cradle both forests and communities, conservation is more than the protection of wildlife and ecosystems—it is an act of honoring relationships, both human and non-human. For too long, environmental initiatives in rural areas have been shaped by approaches that may not fully reflect the lived realities of those most affected by ecological change. As locals living at the intersection of these challenges, we believe conservation must begin with people—centering spaces where we can participate meaningfully, feel deeply, and lead with purpose.
Many of the young people engaged in our conservation work come from diverse backgrounds, yet share a common reality: we feel the heat rising—on many levels. We witness rivers thinning, forest patches disappearing, and the impacts of environmental degradation growing more tangible each day. These shifts are not distant—they are woven into our daily lives. And yet, our communities also carry deep stories of kinship with the land as well as narratives rooted in cultural knowledge, care, and reciprocity.
What we often lack is not motivation, but space to act, lead, and decide for ourselves.
This is why our work through Paglaum: Art x Ecology, a collaboration between WWF-Philippines National Youth Council and Dulungan Youth, focuses on creating third spaces—community-held grounds for healing, storytelling, and leadership. Paglaum means “hope” in Kinaray-a, the most widely spoken language in our province. Through art-making, poetry, field-based learning, and story-sharing, youth are invited to explore their emotional and ecological realities using a landscape-based approach—one that recognizes the social and ecological connections we hold with each other and with the futures we strive to create.
This is a necessary process of unlearning, repairing, and becoming—beyond the transactional, individualistic, and often competitive systems we have inherited.
When we invest in relationships—when we make room to process ecological grief, share stories, and reconnect—we lay the groundwork for a more personal and grounded sense of conservation as well as a world rooted in care and possibility. Our gatherings are rooted in this practice. It is our way of responding to traditional, top-down models of conservation with more inclusive and collaborative approaches—those that treat communities as co-creators, not just stakeholders.
Still, inspiration alone is not enough to sustain youth and local leadership. We must also address the enabling conditions—economic, emotional, and structural—that allow youth and grassroots participation to truly thrive. In many rural areas, systemic challenges such as poverty, land insecurity, and climate-related anxiety disproportionately affect the youth. Often, these are left unaddressed in broader conservation narratives, which focus on species or ecosystems but sometimes overlook the well-being of the people who live alongside them.
So how do we create space for healing, leadership, and unlearning through ecological repair? We begin by shifting power—not only through resources or policies, but through trust. We design conservation models that are rights-based and relationship-driven, not prescriptive. We support youth not as symbolic “leaders of tomorrow,” but as full participants in shaping conservation today. This must go beyond tokenism—young people need to be meaningfully involved in decision-making at every level. The commitment must move beyond surface-level representation and into real structural inclusion, ensuring youth are not only seated at decision-making tables, but are equipped, resourced, and trusted to influence the agendas being set.
We must also value emotional ties to place as real indicators of conservation success, and center lived experience alongside technical data. Because the truth is: people protect what they feel they belong to. When communities are seen, heard, and trusted—they lead.
If we are to reimagine conservation, we must acknowledge the unequal dynamics that exist on the ground and move toward inclusive, locally grounded approaches that honor small, consistent acts of care. These are the quiet ripples that grow into lasting change.
There is still much work ahead to mainstream this approach. The process of unlearning and repair takes time. The climate crisis continues to persist and challenge us. But so does hope—hope rooted in shared spaces, in the belief that change can grow from within, and in the commitment to co-creating conservation that truly belongs to the people.
What can we do? We can support local conservation funds that directly resource youth-led and community-based projects. We can advocate for inclusive policies that ensure youth participation in environmental decision-making. And we can continue to listen—to the stories, knowledge, and aspirations of those who live with and care for the land every day.
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Jann Vinze “Javie” Barcinal is a community organizer and storyteller advocating for the mainstreaming of community-led biodiversity conservation in Antique, his home province in the Philippines. He is a member of the WWF-Philippines National Youth Council and currently works as the Asia Regional Digital Organizer for 350.org. He is the founder of Dulungan Youth, where he leads grassroots conservation initiatives grounded in creative and practical approaches.