Can REDD+ deliver for Philippines' Iraya Mangyan?

The Mindoro Forest and Biodiversity Conservation Programme protects more than 40,000 hectares of Iraya Mangyan ancestral forest through Indigenous patrols, carbon monitoring and livelihood projects; Indigenous patrollers and local officials report the program has already reduced timber poaching and small-scale mining while documenting hundreds of plant and animal species.

Carbon revenue and key verification remain pending, expected no earlier than around 2029; long-term success depends on finalizing transparent revenue-sharing agreements and sustaining community engagement.