In memory of Dr. Jane Goodall (1934–2025). We share this reflection in deep respect for her life and work, and we invite readers to honor her legacy through responsible action in Palawan.

Goodall’s message was never about despair. It was a call to act precisely because we can—to use our capacity for foresight and compassion to safeguard forests, waters, and the communities that depend on them. Her life’s work fused evidence with ethics: protect habitats, respect Indigenous lifeways, and hold decision-makers to standards worthy of an “intelligent” species. Recent reflections on her legacy highlights that same imperative: don’t give up; choose policies and practices that let nature (and people) thrive.

The Palawan mirror: when “intellect” forgets wisdom

Palawan is globally celebrated as the Philippines’ last ecological frontier—and too often treated as a sacrifice zone. The record is painfully consistent: when short-term extraction outpaces safeguards, forests fall, rivers silt up, fisheries decline, and communities bear the brunt of the risk.

Below are concrete instances—spanning mining and quarrying—where the gap between “what we know” and “what we do” has harmed people and places:

1. Ipilan Nickel & Mt. Mantalingahan (Brooke’s Point).
   In 2017, clearing inside the Mt. Mantalingahan Protected Landscape proceeded without the required Certificate of Precondition, prompting local action and national controversy. The broader legal struggle surrounding the site illustrates how forest loss, flooding, and coastal contamination are linked to poorly governed operations. In 2023, the Supreme Court highlighted harms to residents’ lives and property, noting flooding and contamination of fishing areas linked to ongoing nickel activities.
2. Rio Tuba/Bataraza & Mt. Bulanjao.
   Open-pit nickel mining has been operating here for decades; civil society and researchers have raised concerns ranging from riverine siltation to detections of hexavalent chromium in waterways and potential pollution pathways from mining and processing. These are not abstract risks; they map onto real rivers, mangroves, and downstream communities.
3. Mining expansion & community impacts (province-wide).
   Amnesty International’s 2025 brief on the Philippines’ nickel boom—covering Palawan municipalities—documents inadequate consultation, heightened flood exposure, and farmlands coated in nickel laterite after storm events. The report echoes what many Palaweños have witnessed: when forest cover is stripped, the next heavy rain writes the truth in red water.
4. Quarrying & small watersheds.
   Beyond large mines, smaller extractive fronts can quietly erode resilience. Studies and local reports indicate that siltation in mangroves and reefs is linked to quarrying, with upland and riverbank extraction degrading water quality and undermining the livelihoods of Indigenous communities. These impacts scale quickly in Palawan’s narrow, flash-flood-prone watersheds.
5. Compounded risk with extreme weather.
   Typhoons such as Odette (Rai) damage forest infrastructure and trails; where catchments are already disturbed by clearing or extraction, downstream flooding and sediment loads worsen—turning hazards into disasters.

If we tally “how many times” Palawan has suffered from choices that Goodall warned against, the honest answer is: far too often to list in a single article. The pattern repeats wherever oversight lags: clear forest → destabilize slopes → choke rivers and coasts → injure food security and health → fracture communities in the fight to recover. Recent ground reporting captures that cycle in Brooke’s Point—“flash floods” and “siltation of the sea” are not metaphors but monthly realities for fishing families.

From intellect to intelligence: what SPF can do now

Goodall insisted that hope is a verb. On Palawan, that means turning lessons into policy and practice:

• Defend intact forests first. Prioritize no-go decisions in protected and high-risk catchments; uphold ECAN zoning and existing protections within Mt. Mantalingahan and other key landscapes.
• Follow law and consent, not shortcuts. Ensure Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) and complete environmental due diligence before any activity that affects Indigenous territories and critical habitats. (Amnesty’s 2025 review shows what happens when consultation is treated as a box-tick.)
• Stop the silt at the source. Enforce strict erosion, drainage, and buffer rules for any earth-moving activity, including mines and quarries, paired with independent monitoring that communities can verify.
• Choose development that lifts both people and nature. Invest in smallholder forestry, ecotourism that actually protects habitat, and clean-energy transitions that reduce pressure on forests—aligning with Goodall’s insistence that we use our “intellect” to heal rather than harm.

A closing in Goodall’s spirit

If being “the most intellectual” species means anything, it must be this: we know enough to stop repeating our mistakes. Dr. Jane Goodall asked us to widen the circle of compassion—to include forests, rivers, mangroves, and the people whose lives are braided into them. Palawan’s future depends on answering that call—with enforcement that works, choices that respect consent, and a development vision that preserves the integrity of our island home.

Editor’s note: Dr. Jane Goodall passed away on October 1, 2025, aged 91, in California. For the Jane Goodall Institute’s announcement and remembrance page, see the JGI statement. This tribute is authored by ELAC/Save Palawan’s Forests and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Jane Goodall Institute.

Sources:

• Jane Goodall’s quote on “the most intellectual creature… destroying its only home.” The Guardian, Nov. 3, 2018.
• Obituaries/confirmation of death (Oct. 1, 2025): Reuters; AP News; ABC News; Newsweek.
• Supreme Court issues Writ of Kalikasan re Mt. Mantalingahan / Brooke’s Point (Ipilan Nickel). Supreme Court of the Philippines media release; Mongabay coverage.
• Amnesty International brief on nickel mining consultation/FPIC gaps (incl. Palawan). Amnesty News article; full report PDF.
• Hexavalent chromium findings in Rio Tuba waterways: Friends of the Earth Japan report (PDF); Pulitzer Center summary report; Business & Human Rights Resource Centre roundup.
• Quarrying/earth-moving impacts & coastal siltation (Coron reclamation case context). Philippine Daily Inquirer (PRA forfeiture report).
• Palawan’s 50-year mining moratorium (policy context). Philippine Daily Inquirer; Palawan News explainer.
• ECAN/SEP context for no-go and protected zones. PCSD: ECAN Resource Management Plan of Puerto Princesa (PDF).