Haribon Foundation

Description

Haribon Foundation is a nature conservation organization in the Philippines, founded in 1972 as a bird-watching society.

Its work rests on four pillars: conserving sites and habitats, saving species, encouraging sustainability and empowering people. It runs forest conservation efforts such as the Forests for Life Movement and projects in the Aklan River Watershed, the Central Panay Mountains and the Sierra Madre. It also works on saving species through its State of the World’s Birds policy project and efforts against cross-border bird trade.

Other activities include updating the country’s key biodiversity areas, membership and volunteer engagement, and nature-based solutions and biodiversity-friendly enterprises. It runs community and education programs such as Biodiversity on Wheels, the Junior Sea Guardians Project, citizen ecosystem monitoring, and programs supporting women in environmental governance. Haribon set up a marine sanctuary for luminous seahorses in 1995, which later became the country’s most outstanding marine protected area.