Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development and Protection Plan

Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development and Protection Plan
Name	Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development and Protection Plan
Native name	ADSDPP
Established	2000s
Leader title	Proponents
Leader name	National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous peoples
Location	Philippines

Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development and Protection Plan is a planning instrument designed to assert the rights of Indigenous peoples over their ancestral domain and to guide land use, resource management, cultural preservation, and livelihood strategies within recognized territories. It links legal instruments, customary governance, and development planning to harmonize local priorities with obligations under national statutes and international instruments such as the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the 1997 Indigenous Peoples Rights Act. The ADSDPP is implemented through partnerships among indigenous communities, national agencies, local government units like provincial government, non-governmental organizations such as World Wildlife Fund, and funding bodies including Asian Development Bank.

Background and Legal Framework

The ADSDPP emerged from jurisprudence and policy associated with the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997 and decisions by the Supreme Court of the Philippines, influenced by precedents from Philippine Commission on Human Rights cases and development programs from Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Department of Agrarian Reform. Internationally, frameworks like the Convention on Biological Diversity, the ILO Convention No. 169, and instruments endorsed at the United Nations General Assembly inform ADSDPP norms, while regional initiatives such as the ASEAN Declaration on Indigenous Peoples and funding mechanisms like the Global Environment Facility shape implementation. Customary laws recognized through community registers and evidence submitted to the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples provide the evidentiary basis for titling under Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title processes.

Objectives and Guiding Principles

ADSDPPs aim to secure territorial integrity for indigenous nations, ensure sustainable stewardship of biocultural resources, protect sacred sites, and enhance livelihoods through community-approved development pathways. Principles derive from Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989, United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and national policy instruments such as Administrative Order No. 1 (Philippines) and emphasize free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) consistent with rulings of the Commission on Human Rights and policy guidance from National Commission on Indigenous Peoples. Other guiding tenets include ecosystem-based management reflected in Ramsar Convention, participatory governance models akin to Local Government Code of the Philippines collaborations, and gender-sensitive approaches promoted by agencies like United Nations Development Programme.

Components and Content of the ADSDPP

Typical ADSDPP documents integrate a suite of maps, inventories, and protocols: cadastral and participatory maps referencing Geographic Information System data, cultural resource inventories comparable to archives in the National Museum of the Philippines, biodiversity assessments aligned with IUCN categories, and livelihood plans that coordinate with programs from Department of Agriculture and Department of Trade and Industry. Legal sections cite processes for Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title, dispute resolution referencing mechanisms in the Department of Justice, and customary governance protocols bearing similarity to codifications by organizations such as CIP-UPANG. Environmental safeguards echo safeguards used by World Bank and Asian Development Bank projects, while monitoring frameworks may adopt indicators from the Sustainable Development Goals and the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Aichi Targets.

Consultation and Community Participation

Development of ADSDPPs requires iterative consultations consistent with FPIC jurisprudence from the Supreme Court of the Philippines and guidance from National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, involving barangay assemblies, tribal councils akin to structures in Cordillera Administrative Region, and partnerships with academe institutions like University of the Philippines and Silliman University. Stakeholders include municipal and provincial officials under the Local Government Code of the Philippines, civil society actors such as Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement and Katutubo, and donor representatives from UNEP and UNICEF when relevant. Documentation processes emulate participatory mapping protocols used by LandMark and community-based monitoring pioneered in collaborations with Conservation International.

Implementation and Institutional Arrangements

Operationalization of ADSDPPs mobilizes multi-level institutions: the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples as lead agency, sectoral partners including Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture, and Department of Social Welfare and Development, and local executing units in provinces and municipalities. Support often comes from international partners such as USAID, European Union programs, and multilateral banks like the World Bank through project modalities, while legal consolidation may involve litigation at the Supreme Court of the Philippines or coordination with the Office of the President. Capacity-building occurs via training from universities and NGOs including Ateneo de Manila University and Oxfam Philippines.

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Adaptive Management

Monitoring systems blend community-based monitoring influenced by Citizen Science initiatives, spatial analysis with satellite imagery providers, and compliance reporting aligned with Convention on Biological Diversity obligations. Evaluation cycles draw on methodologies used by International Union for Conservation of Nature and program evaluation standards from United Nations Development Programme, while adaptive management responds to changing conditions documented in climate reports from Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments. Data governance aligns with Data Privacy Act of 2012 requirements and protocols developed with entities like Haribon Foundation.

Challenges, Conflicts, and Case Studies

ADSDPP implementation faces conflicts over resource extraction involving companies such as Philex Mining Corporation and infrastructure projects linked to National Economic and Development Authority plans, land disputes adjudicated through the Sandiganbayan or local courts, and pressures from agribusiness actors including San Miguel Corporation. Case studies span contested sites in the Mindanao conflict landscape with actors like Moro Islamic Liberation Front, conservation successes in Palawan partnering with Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and community resilience examples in the Cordillera involving alliances with Scholars of Indigenous Peoples Rights. Common challenges include overlapping claims with National Commission on Indigenous Peoples adjudications, capacity constraints addressed by Asian Development Bank grants, and tensions between customary law proponents and statutory authorities such as the Department of Justice.

Category:Indigenous rights in the Philippines