Photo: Alexander Schimmeck | Unsplash
The village of Kamantian in Palawan, Philippines, is tucked in the Mount Mantalingahan Protected Landscape. Tiblak is one of the village's 65 traditional basket weavers. The handcrafted basket he makes is known as tingkep. The designs and uses are reflective of their deep relationship with the forest; non-timber forest products are used in making tingkep. Basket weavers like Tiblak are trained to report violations they spot in the forest, supporting the government’s rangers by serving as extra eyes and ears, says Mantalingahan information officer Michael John Cantuba. “In our outreach activities, they always express their eagerness to partake in the protection of their ancestral forest where they get materials and design inspirations for their baskets.” Rogelio Andrada II, an expert in protected area management at University of the Philippines Los Baños said, “The success of any intervention activity in a protected landscape hinges on the support and participation of Indigenous communities,” says
|
|
More:
