This Ifugao-led study is a climate vulnerability assessment of the rice terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The assessment establishes why local communities value the terraces, and how these values, deeply rooted in indigenous knowledge, are impacted by climate change. The end goal is for communities to strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity as they position to preserve and protect their cultural heritage.
Data was gathered by several focus group discussions among farmers in Nagacadan Hungduan, Mayoyao, Bangaan and Batad. This approach ensures the collection of critical data that truly reflects the lived experiences and needs of the indigenous Ifugao people. The assessment utilizes modern climate science and indigenous knowledge, as both realms of understanding are complementary and necessary to address the climate crisis more effectively.
The Ifugao Rice Terraces confront a web of climate challenges such as intensified typhoons, erratic precipitation patterns, prolonged droughts and increasing temperatures, which pose imminent risk of soil erosion, reduced crop yield or crop loss, landslides, and structural damage to the terraces. This threatens their ecological integrity, agricultural productivity, amplifies existing vulnerabilities, and can jeopardize the sustainability of this cultural landscape.
On June 27, 2024, the Institute of Disaster Mitigation for Urban Cultural Heritage of Ritsumeikan University (R-DMUCH) represented by Director Dr. Shinta Yoshitomi and UNESCO Co-Chair holder on the Program of Cultural Heritage and Risk Management Associate Professor Dr. Dowon Kim and the International Council of Monuments and Site Philippines, Inc. [ICOMOS Philippines] represented by its Chairman and President Dr. Cheek S. Fadriquela and Vice President Ar. Kenneth Javier Tua entered into and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
ICOMOS Philippines President Cheek Fadriquela shares his gratitude to R-DMUCH in his speech: “With this Memorandum of Understanding, we are addressing the paucity of DRM related personnel in cultural heritage who will craft plans of actions before, during and after disaster events in the Philippines. In partnership with Ritsumeikan, I believe our aspirations will come into fruition in protecting our shared legacies.”
This MOU establishes key goals for the partnerships, particularly in the promotion, conservation, and protection of culture and heritage in the Philippines. In this vein, R-DMUCH and ICOMOS Philippines will cooperate in research and investigation as partner organizations and for educational activities and specialized professional programs on the conservation, disaster prevention, and risk management of cultural heritage. To broadcast this knowledge, the MOU allows two (2) representatives to participate in the International Training Course on Disaster Risk Management of Cultural Heritage [ITC].
One major output from participation in the ITC will be the establishment of a National Training Course on Disaster Risk Management of Cultural Heritage (DRMCH) in the Republic of the Philippines which will be under the partnership of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) and ICOMOS Philippines; both will implement a capacity building program to aid stakeholders in formulating their own disaster risk management plans.
R-DMUCH and ICOMOS Philippines sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the “Collaboration on human resource capacity building for the implementation of a national training course on disaster risk management of cultural heritage in the Republic of the Philippines”
Knowledge sharing is key in this partnership and will help refine disaster risk management of cultural heritage plans to the context of the Philippines with its own set of hazards and vulnerabilities. Ar. Kenneth Javier Tua, who successfully participated in the 2023 cohort of ITC and developed a Heritage Disaster Risk Management (HDRM) plan for the World Heritage Site in the Historic City of Vigan, said: “This kind of capacity building is long overdue for us Philippine Heritage Professionals and Conservationists.”
Dr. Dowon Kim added to Ar. Kenneth Javier Tua’s comment stating “R-DMUCH will support the institutionalization of the DRMCH plan in the Philippines as R-DMUCH has been active in assisting other Southeast Asian nations, India and Nepal among others with their own National Disaster Risk Management Plans.” These countries already had sent their representatives to participate in the ITC in previous years.
Both Director Dr. Shinta Yoshitomi and Dr. Cheek S. Fadriquela closed the MOU signing ceremony with appreciation and gratitude that ICOMOS Philippines and R-DMUCH will strengthen the network between the two organizations and expressed appreciation and gratitude for future fruitful collaboration.
For the Philippines, this MOU represents the ongoing endeavor to elevate cultural heritage as an essential community resource and to adopt the attention that it deserves during times of disasters and crisis. Since cultural heritage resources are especially susceptible to the changing climate and its itinerant hazards, the implementation of a DRMCH plan will help mitigate the loss and disruption of our precious cultural heritage resources for now and for future generations.
Don’t miss the opportunity to participate in our Virtual Live Event for the Climate Change Vulnerability Risk Assessment of the Ifugao Rice Terraces, Philippines.
We are so excited to invite you to the report launch. We’re opening a ten day countdown registration form for our live virtual event, to present findings of the year long study Climate Vulnerability Assessment of the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras on June 27, 5:00 PM Philippine time, GMT + 8.
How can heritage sites contribute to a sustainable climate future? Join us as we explore Ifugao traditions in the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras and uncover their invaluable lessons on adapting to and mitigating climate change. Discover the synergy between indigenous knowledge and climate science and learn how ancient practices can inform modern strategies for resilience and sustainability. Don’t miss this enlightening presentation on climate vulnerability assessment—where the past guides us towards a sustainable future. This project is a collaboration between National Geographic Society, ICOMOS, and Preserving Legacies.
This Ifugao-led study is a climate vulnerability assessment of the rice terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The assessment establishes why local communities value the terraces, and how these values, deeply rooted in indigenous knowledge, are impacted by climate change. The end goal is for communities to strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity as they position to preserve and protect their cultural heritage.
Data was gathered by several focus group discussions among farmers in Nagacadan Hungduan, Mayoyao, Bangaan and Batad. This approach ensures the collection of critical data that truly reflects the lived experiences and needs of the indigenous Ifugao people. The assessment utilizes modern climate science and indigenous knowledge, as both realms of understanding are complementary and necessary to address the climate crisis more effectively.
The Ifugao Rice Terraces confront a web of climate challenges such as intensified typhoons, erratic precipitation patterns, prolonged droughts and increasing temperatures, which pose imminent risk of soil erosion, reduced crop yield or crop loss, landslides, and structural damage to the terraces. This threatens their ecological integrity, agricultural productivity, amplifies existing vulnerabilities, and can jeopardize the sustainability of this cultural landscape.
Fortunately, their traditional values and indigenous knowledge systems make them moderately resilient. However, they will need additional support from government to develop infrastructure, and develop technical capacities to build more robust adaptive strategies and sustainable management practices to preserve ecological resilience and secure the livelihoods of the communities that call the terraces home.
Last March 2024, marked the third quarter of the implementation of the first Heritage Emergency Fund [HEF] granted to the Republic of the Philippines by UNESCO.
UNESCO Jakarta under the leadership of Moe Chiba, Culture Unit Head, and Rizky Fardhyan, Project Coordinator, visited Vigan City to observe and support the activities spurred by the HEF. Their visit coincided with events around Vigan from the 11th to 13th of March, and they witnessed major milestones achieved by expert team, visiting and local students and professors, and the stakeholders of Vigan.
One activity was the HEF capacity-building training program whose audience were the homeowner’s, custodians, contractors, technicians, tradespersons and other concerned stakeholders of the WHS Historic City of Vigan. Not only were they given lectures about Vigan specific topics, but they were also involved in a hands-on workshop to try their hand at mixing lime mortar and also attempting traditional joinery.
Another highlight were the activities at Tadena Hall at University of Northern Philippines where Hong Kong University and University of the Northern students presented their documentation of fifteen priority ancestral vernacular houses that they completed in about a week with the aide of digital documentation.
Lastly, there was Town Hall Meeting where homeowners and local stakeholders had an open forum to discuss the challenges of recovery and also how to move forward as a community sustainably and effectively.
This activity was supported by the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund. We wish to thank its donors: the Qatar Fund for Development, the Government of Canada, the Kingdom of Norway, the French Republic, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Principality of Monaco, the Republic of Estonia, ANA Holdings INC, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Slovak Republic, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Principality of Andorra, the Republic of Serbia.
Concerned stakeholders who are interested in providing in-kind contribution, you may contact Ar. Kenneth Javier Tua, Country Project Director, through kenneth.javier.tua@icomosphilippines.com and cc.: info@icomosphilippines.com. Let’s protect and promote our diverse cultural heritage together.
