Haribon Foundation

Haribon Foundation

MISSION

Haribon Foundation for the Conservation of Natural Resources, Inc.(Haribon Foundation) is a pioneering conservation organisation dedicated to safeguarding the unique habitats and wildlife of the Philippines, through participatory and sustainable solutions.

Founded to protect the Critically Endangered Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi), Haribon Foundation now serves as BirdLife International’s partner in the Philippines. Their work centres on four key areas: Conserving Sites and Habitats, Saving Species, Encouraging Sustainability, and Empowering People.

Through a wide range of projects, Haribon Foundation trains, nurtures, and equips local community members to become the Philippines’ next generation of environmental leaders.

 

History

Haribon Foundation is the Philippines’ first and oldest environmental conservation organisation. Its origins began in 1972 when a group of birdwatchers came together to form “The Haribon Society”, named after the Philippine Eagle, locally known as the “Haring Ibon”. In 1982, Haribon Foundation was officially established as an environmental conservation nonprofit committed to the long-term protection of Philippines’ wildlife and habitats.

 
 
Partnership with WLT

In 2025, Haribon Foundation became a WLT partner, receiving support to scale up conservation initiatives in the Central Sierra Madre Mountain Range.

With WLT’s support, Haribon Foundation aims to strengthen the protection of 10,791 hectares (26,665 acres) of locally declared Critical Habitats in Nueva Ecija Province. This effort includes upgrading the sites’ legal statuses to a National Critical Habitat – the first step towards designation as part of the Philippines’ National Protected Area System (NIPAS). This will enhance connectivity to the nearby Aurora Memorial National Park and community-managed forests, ensuring that this unique and precious landscape is safeguarded for generations to come.

WLT FUNDED PROJECTS

CURRENT

Please see our Philippines page.

Panoramic view of of mountainous, forested habitat in Gabaldon

Other projects and activities

• Increasing the influence of women in Protected Area management through their Women in Environmental Governance (Women Go) project, with training and workshops in environmental leadership, financial management, disaster risk reduction, and overcoming gender boundaries. Additionally, it seeks to establish a women’s alliance with local governments in the Southern Sierra Madre

• Establishing Critical Habitats in several Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) through a multi-stakeholder and community-led approach, ensuring long-term biodiversity protection and local empowerment.
• Supporting a circular economy through the collection of waste in the municipality of Infanta to create eco-bricks for construction.

• Running a conservation project focused on the Black-faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor) since 2015, involving international collaboration with other organisations across its entire range. These efforts have paid off, yielding a gradual population increase over the past 30 years.

• Promoting the use of native trees in its forest restoration program called Forest For Life, first established in 2006 to support the recovery of the Philippine’s natural ecosystems. This involves organising tree planting activities in partnership with local communities and government agencies, including a community tree planting day in the Sierra Madre Mountains in the wake of Typhoon Kristine, which hit on October 26th, 2024. As the world’s most environmentally disaster-prone country on Earth, the Haribon Foundation strongly focuses on the role of forests to stabilise soil, prevent landslides, and reduce flooding.

• Creating a nationwide alliance of community-based marine protected areas to safeguard marine wildlife while supporting local fishing communities. This included extensive interviews with local fishermen to better understand the challenges they face, enabling the co-creation of marine protected areas that benefit both people and nature.

• Launched the First National Birdkite Festival to raise awareness of the Philippine Eagle and the country’s other precious and threatened birdlife.

 

Contact Details

Chief Executive Officer:  Arlie Jo Endonila

Website: haribon.org.ph