If I Were A Cordilleran, I Would Start A “Save The Cordilleras” And Not Be Limited To “Save The Rice Terraces”!”

I have been wondering about the world wonder called “Ifugao Rice Terraces” and have been looking at them as “improvable,” what with my added knowledge of agroforestry that I obtained between 1975 and 1981 when I was Editor In Chief of the monthly newsletter Canopy, quarterly technical Sylvatrop, and quarterly color magazine Habitat published by the Forest Research Institute (FORI) where I was Editor In Chief from 1975 to 1981. Thus, this agriculturist enjoyed his on-the-job learning!

I am now reading Ronnel W Domingo’s news report, “Ifugao Rice Terraces Land On Another ‘Protection’ List” (23 Dec 2022, Inquirer, newsinfo.inquirer.net). The caption of the above photograph says, “The world-famous Cordillera landscape keeps getting international attention amid increasing climate threats.” And so we learn from Mr Domingo this:

Communities that depend on the Ifugao Rice Terraces for their livelihood will receive support from Canada-based Manulife Financial Corp and National Geographic (NatGeo) Society, which have included the famous Cordillera landmark in a list of 10 heritage sites that must be protected from the impact of climate change.

Eight others on the list, drawn up under the “Preserving Legacies: A Future for Our Past” initiative, are also on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco).

The 8 others are in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Colombia, Ireland, Fiji, Jordan, Micronesia, and Togo & Benin – the 10^th is the Border Field between Mexico and the United States.

In a joint statement, Manulife and NatGeo said the project could help safeguard these historic and culturally significant sites from the impact of climate change and protect the physical and financial well-being of the communities that rely on them for livelihood. Under the project, it is hoped that the communities can better visualize climate threats on a local scale and be trained in scientific mitigation efforts.

View of Manulife-NatGeo Project – Above, the crucial words are “communities… be trained in scientific mitigation efforts.” Mitigation means “to make less severe or intense” (American Heritage Dictionary, thefreedictionary.com).

My Personal View as Lover of Nature – I would rather that the Cordilleras as one regenerate its historical beauty when the rice terraces were just starting to be constructed on the hillsides – and at the same time combat Climate Change.

I am proceeding from the perspective of Regenerative Agriculture (RA) as the intelligent and complete response to resolve Climate Change! RA is a direct attack on climate change, not simply a reaction like mitigation.

As I see it, the action that is called for the Cordilleras is modern anti-climate change agroforestry: Regenerative Agriculture to return the natural richness of the soil and cultivate not only rice but other suitable crops; and reforestation of denuded Cordillera hillsides

With multi-cropping and agroforestry in and around the rice terraces, as a whole the Cordilleras would be protected as a heritage site, and this will contribute to the conservation of the ancient plant and animal species in the forests in the area. That would be the best World Heritage accomplishment!@517