Background:

• Formerly known as: World Day to Combat Desertification
• Declared by: UN General Assembly in 1994
• Mandated through: The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)—the only legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management.
• Observed on: June 17 every year
• Purpose: To raise global awareness on the risks of desertification, land degradation, and drought—and to highlight solutions for achieving land restoration and resilience.

As the Philippines enters its rainy season, it may seem ironic to spotlight Desertification and Drought Day on June 17. Yet this United Nations observance remains highly relevant to Palawan and the country at large. Extreme weather swings – from torrential monsoon rains to parching dry spells – are two sides of the same coin of land degradation. When heavy rains fall on denuded hills or prolonged drought grips our farms, the impact on soils, water, and livelihoods is devastating. Palawan, often referred to as the nation’s last ecological frontier, faces mounting threats from deforestation, mining, and unsustainable land use, which make both floods and droughts more damaging each year. Today, we join the global call to restore our land’s health, and we affirm that the fight against desertification is every bit as urgent here in our verdant archipelago as in the world’s driest deserts.

What Is Desertification and Drought Day?

Desertification and Drought Day (previously known as the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought) was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1994 to raise awareness of “international efforts to combat desertification”. Observed every June 17th under the guidance of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), this annual day reminds us that land degradation is a global threat that requires collective action. Since 2019, the event has been known by its shorter name, Desertification and Drought Day. Still, its core purpose remains the same – to promote sustainable land management and rally support for countries confronting desertification and drought.

Each year, a different country hosts the main global observance, and a theme spotlights a pressing issue. In 2025, the theme is “Restore the land. Unlock the opportunities,” highlighting the urgent need to rehabilitate 1.5 billion hectares of degraded land this decade. The UNCCD emphasizes that restoring nature’s foundation – our land – can create jobs, bolster food and water security, support climate action, and strengthen resilience. Land degradation and drought are seen as major disruptors of economies and quality of life. Still, through effective action, the script can be flipped: “Land restoration is our chance to reverse these threats and create new possibilities,” notes Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD. In short, Desertification and Drought Day is a chance for communities worldwide to reflect, raise awareness, and recommit to protecting the land that sustains us all.

Why Desertification Matters to Palawan

Palawan might be blessed with lush rainforests and abundant rainfall for part of the year, is far from immune to the problems of land degradation. In fact, Palawan holds a unique place in the Philippines’ environmental heritage. Often referred to as the country’s “last ecological frontier,” Palawan still harbors half of its original tropical forest cover and nearly 50% of all old-growth forest remaining in the Philippines. The island is recognized as a UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve and boasts a stunning diversity of life found nowhere else, from the pangolin and Philippine cockatoo to rare flora. Healthy forests and soils here underpin local food production, regulate freshwater for communities, and protect biodiversity that local people depend on. In short, Palawan’s natural ecosystems are vital infrastructure, providing services that range from crop pollination and water supply to climate regulation.

Yet despite this ecological importance, Palawan’s lands have suffered increasing pressure from deforestation and unsustainable exploitation. Logging and land clearing have a long history on the island. In recent years, “massive investments in extractive resources and industrial agriculture” have encroached even into Palawan’s forests. Large-scale mining operations and monocrop plantations – especially oil palm and rubber – have been expanding, often at the expense of intact forests and indigenous lands. Palawan’s environment is being ravaged by agribusiness and mining interests, resulting in significant-scale forest loss and soil erosion. At least 15,000 hectares of land have already been converted to oil palm plantations by just three companies, with thousands more hectares targeted for expansion. These monocrop plantations replace diverse forests with single-species crops, depleting the soil nutrients and biological richness that accumulated over centuries. Studies have noted that planting only one crop year after year strips the soil of beneficial microbes, requiring heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides, which further reduces soil fertility and can even contaminate local water supplies. In short, monocropping and deforestation are degrading Palawan’s land, undermining the very productivity and water resources that local communities rely on.

At the same time, irresponsible mining has carved literal and figurative scars into Palawan’s landscape. The province is rich in nickel and other minerals, and policies promoting mining for economic gain have led to large-scale strip mining in forested areas. Strip mining involves removing all vegetation and topsoil to get at the ore beneath, a process with devastating consequences for the land. “It is not just about removing trees.”  “You remove the wildlife and the topsoil that supports many life forms… With this method of mining, it is extremely difficult to restore the environment after, and nearly impossible to get the original ecosystem back.” In municipalities like Brooke’s Point and Narra, the impacts of nickel mining have been dire. Toxic runoff and laterite sediment from mining sites contaminate rivers and irrigation streams, choking the water sources that farmers depend on. Entire rice fields have been rendered unproductive – for example, over 100 hectares of rice paddies in Narra can no longer be farmed after being inundated with nickel-rich silt. Fisheries have suffered too; sediment and pollution from mine ports have smothered coral reefs and destroyed spawning grounds for lobster and fish, hitting coastal livelihoods. Beyond the pollution, mining projects have often restricted indigenous communities’ access to their ancestral forests and waters, further threatening sustainable land stewardship. In sum, mining in Palawan has led to deforestation, soil removal, water pollution, and social disruption, all of which contribute to a creeping form of desertification – the land’s loss of life-supporting capacity.

Land Degradation Drivers: The Enforcement Gap

Decades of policy analysis show that Palawan’s most persistent environmental threat is not any single land-use practice, but the chronic failure to enforce existing safeguards. Under Republic Act 7611 (the Strategic Environmental Plan for Palawan, or SEP Law), the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) is mandated to regulate all land-use activities, from extractive projects to smallholder farming. Yet field evidence reveals:

• Weak field enforcement — critical watersheds are cleared or mined despite existing Environmentally Critical Areas Network (ECAN) zoning.
• Insufficient guidelines for sustainable upland livelihoods, leaving communities without clear, lawful pathways to cultivate land.
• Limited participation of Indigenous Peoples and small farmers in PCSD decision-making, undermining traditional stewardship systems.

As a result, a spectrum of land-clearing activities—whether large-scale logging, mining expansions, or non-traditional, unsupervised swidden clearings—proceeds without thorough ecological screening. ELAC’s April 2025 statement stresses that upland farmers and Indigenous communities should not be scapegoated for systemic enforcement gaps; instead, PCSD and line agencies must fulfill their legal obligation to implement and monitor the SEP Law.

Traditional Kaingin in Context

ELAC recognizes that ancestral, cyclical kaingin—with long fallow periods, mixed cropping, and community rules—has sustained upland communities for generations. Problems arise only when modern pressures (land grabs, shortened fallow, commercial speculation) push clearing beyond these traditional bounds. Effective solutions, therefore, center on:

1. Full SEP implementation — straightforward ECAN zonation, permits, and participatory monitoring.
2. Support for Indigenous land-management plans under IPRA, ensuring traditional practices remain sustainable.
3. Livelihood assistance to prevent upland households from being forced into destructive short-cycle clearing.

By strengthening governance rather than targeting small farmers, Palawan can mitigate land degradation, reduce erosion during the rainy season, and enhance water security throughout the dry months.

From Rainy Season to Dry Season: Extremes and Land Degradation

Why worry about drought and desertification during the Philippine rainy season? The truth is that extreme rainfall and extreme drought are both part of the land degradation cycle, especially when ecosystems are damaged. Palawan illustrates this vividly. Deforestation greatly amplifies the destructive effects of heavy rains, turning what should be life-giving monsoons into sources of disaster. Forests usually act as sponges – their leaf litter and roots absorb and slow down rainfall, allowing water to seep into the ground and replenish aquifers. When hillsides are denuded of trees, intense rain has nothing to soak it up. The result is flash floods, landslides, and rapid runoff that strips away topsoil. A Philippine study found that a mere 10% increase in deforestation can lead to a 4–28% increase in flood frequency. In Mindanao, unseasonably heavy rains in early 2023 turned deadly, in part due to upland deforestation and inadequate warnings (phys.org). Soil erosion is another insidious effect – when land is cleared, the exposed soil is baked by the sun and loses its nutrients; subsequently, rain washes those nutrients away into rivers, leaving behind infertile earth. Even if trees are replanted later, severely eroded soil may no longer be able to support healthy growth. We see this in Palawan, where silted rivers and muddy floods follow every severe storm in watersheds that have been badly deforested. Downstream, coastal mangroves and coral reefs also suffer from the sediment washing off denuded lands.

Paradoxically, deforestation and land degradation also exacerbate droughts. By disrupting the water cycle, forest loss can lead to an area becoming drier over time. Normally, trees release moisture into the air and help regulate groundwater. Without tree cover, water just runs off swiftly to the sea instead of percolating into aquifers. Groundwater levels drop, and wells and springs can dry up sooner in the dry season. Forests help buffer a region from extremes – absorbing water during wet times, and slowly releasing moisture during dry times. When that buffer is depleted, you experience floods during the wet season and water shortages during the dry season. The Philippine Clearing House Mechanism on biodiversity bluntly states: “When forests and trees are cut down, the regulation of the flow of water is disrupted, which leads to alternating periods of flood and then drought in the affected area.”philchm.ph Palawan residents have experienced this pattern: rivers that rage in October can shrink to a trickle by April if their source forests have been logged.

Furthermore, climate change is intensifying these extremes of wet and dry conditions. The Philippines is cyclically affected by El Niño, the warming of the Pacific that brings abnormally dry conditions every few years. Scientists have observed that El Niño events have become more frequent and possibly more intense in recent decades, likely due to global climate shifts. During El Niño episodes, Palawan and much of the country endure droughts and prolonged dry spells from about March to June. In early 2019, for instance, a weak El Niño led to drastically low rainfall; by summer, over 40 provinces, including Palawan, had declared drought or dry spell conditions, and water rationing affected cities like Puerto Princesa. Local water districts in Palawan’s capital urged residents to conserve water as reservoirs and rivers dropped to critical levels. “Almost all water sources in our place dried up due to prolonged drought,” recalled one community leader from a Palawan island municipality. These dry spells not only threaten drinking water supplies but also damage crops and forests, sometimes sparking wildfires in grasslands. According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), areas of Palawan are regularly at risk of drought whenever rainfall falls below 60% of normal for several consecutive months. It is sobering that 56% of Palawan’s population is now considered exposed to drought hazards, while 48% are exposed to flooding hazards. In other words, more than half of the people in this province face the direct threat of either too little water or too much water every year. Droughts and floods, in turn, directly undermine food security and livelihoods – drying up rice fields, causing erosive landslides on farms, and contaminating drinking water.

The dual crises of flood and drought ultimately stem from the exact cause: degraded land and disrupted climate. When land loses its vegetative cover and soil health, it cannot absorb rainfall or retain moisture. This is essentially what “desertification” means – not that Palawan will turn into a desert, but that parts of our land could lose the capacity to support people and nature. Whether it’s mountainsides stripped bare by illegal logging or lowland farms stricken by drought, the challenge is the same: we must restore our land’s ability to hold water, sustain vegetation, and remain resilient in a changing climate. Protecting forests, replanting trees, adopting sustainable farming practices, and planning land use wisely are all critical components of this puzzle in Palawan.

A Call to Action: Join Us in Restoring the Land

On this Desertification and Drought Day 2025, as we reflect on Palawan’s environmental challenges, one message rings clear: we cannot take our land and water for granted. The extreme rains and harsh droughts we witness are warnings that the balance of nature is faltering. But there is hope. Each of us, as residents, policymakers, farmers, businesses, or students, can help tip the balance back in nature’s favor.

ELAC invites you to be part of the solution in whatever capacity you can:

• Support forest protection initiatives: Lend your voice to campaigns against illegal logging, irresponsible mining, and oversized plantations in Palawan. You can sign petitions (Save Palawan's Forests) and share information to raise broader awareness.
• Practice and promote sustainable land use: If you’re a farmer or gardener, consider diversified planting and agroforestry. For consumers, supporting products that are rainforest-friendly and sustainably sourced creates demand for better practices. Small changes in how we grow and consume food can reduce pressure on our forests.
• Volunteer or partner with environmental groups: Organizations like ELAC welcome volunteers in various roles – from community paralegals to tree-planting drives. If you have legal expertise, scientific knowledge, or just passion and time, join local efforts to monitor and rehabilitate degraded lands.
• Hold leaders accountable: Use your citizen’s voice to advocate for strong enforcement of environmental laws. Encourage your barangay and municipal officials to prioritize watershed protection, to prepare for climate extremes, and to resist short-term gains that lead to long-term land damage. Public support empowers honest officials to act decisively for conservation.
• Build community resilience: Something as simple as organizing a rainwater harvesting project or a river clean-up in your community contributes to land and water sustainability. Support indigenous and community-led conservation areas – these are proven models of protecting nature while respecting cultural heritage.

By taking these actions, we honor the spirit of Desertification and Drought Day not just in words, but in deeds. Palawan’s story is a microcosm of the global fight against land degradation: it is a battle to protect our remaining forests, restore what has been lost, and secure a liveable future for the next generation. As the UN’s theme this year emphasizes, restoring the land unlocks opportunities – for jobs, for food and water security, for climate resilience. Here in Palawan, restoring the land means reviving our rice fields and mangroves, safeguarding clean rivers, and maintaining the natural beauty that is our pride.

On this day, ELAC reaffirms its commitment to continue standing guard for Palawan’s environment through law and advocacy. But we cannot do it alone. We urge everyone who calls Palawan home – and friends around the world who care for our “last frontier” – to join us in this movement for ecological justice. Together, let us heal the land that sustains us. Together, let us ensure that lush forests, clear waters, and fertile soils remain a legacy we pass on. In combating desertification and drought, every contribution counts. Join us in turning the tide: from degradation to regeneration, from scarcity to abundance.

Every tree we save, every watershed we restore, every legal victory for the environment – these are seeds of hope. Let’s nurture them, for a greener Palawan and a healthier planet. 🌱