Indigenous Peoples and Migrants: Social Categories, Rights, and Policies for Protected Areas in the Philippine Uplands

Effective and equitable park management in Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park requires blending community-based conservation, ancestral domain recognition, and landscape park approaches. While legal recognition of indigenous peoples' land rights has improved their position relative to migrant settlers, disparities in political and economic resources persist, limiting their ability to participate fully in conservation efforts or benefit from them. The study identifies four historical management models—coercive conservation, community-based conservation, ancestral domain, and European-style landscape park—and argues that a hybrid model best balances justice and effectiveness by securing indigenous property rights and asset access.

Dressler, W. H., & McDermott, M. H. (2010). Indigenous Peoples and Migrants: Social Categories, Rights, and Policies for Protected Areas in the Philippine Uplands. Journal of Sustainable Forestry, 29(2-4), 328–361. https://doi.org/10.1080/10549810903550779