- Indigenous communities and biodiversity hotspots are bearing the brunt of mineral exploitation in the Philippines, according to a new Global Witness and Kalikasan investigation released today
- In total, a fifth of the Philippines land mass is currently covered in mining tenements, the analysis reveals, with government ambition for the country to be a leading exporter of minerals, such as nickel, cobalt and copper
- But this mining expansion threatens Indigenous Peoples, who have already experienced land grabs the size of a small country, equivalent to an astonishing one fifth of their delineated land
- A quarter of the land used for transition mineral mining clashes with key biodiversity and protected areas, whilst also putting some of the world’s most precious ecosystems at risk
- The analysis also reveals that mining is fuelling reprisals against land and environmental defenders; the Philippines military is the single biggest threat to Indigenous defenders, with the military behind most killings and detentions of mining activists
Tuesday 3 December 2024, London - The Philippine government’s push to expand mining for minerals seen as necessary for the energy transition is putting Indigenous communities and the environment at risk, according to a new Global Witness and Kalikasan investigation.
Published today, the investigation found that a fifth of the Philippines land mass is currently covered in mining tenements, in line with the government’s plans for mineral expansion.
In total, more than a quarter of the land used for critical minerals mining overlaps with protected or key biodiversity areas, and a quarter of the territory clashes with Indigenous land.
In the last 30 years, Indigenous Peoples have lost an area of land greater than the size of Timor-Leste to mining projects, according to the report – equivalent to a fifth of their formally delineated territory.
The International Energy Agency warns that global demand for minerals needed to develop renewable energy technologies, such as wind turbines and solar panels, is expected to skyrocket in the coming years. This includes minerals like nickel – an essential component in electric vehicle batteries, with demand expected to increase seven-fold by 2040. The Philippines is currently the world’s second largest producer of nickel, and the country also has significant reserves of other transition minerals such as copper, chromite, silver, and zinc.
Since taking office in mid-2022, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has worked to position the country as a leading exporter of these minerals, following the lifting of a nine-year moratorium on open-pit mining by his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte. But without stronger protections, the report warns, the “green rush” will further fuel Indigenous land grabs, destroy crucial biodiversity, and fuel an uptick in militarisation and state-driven violence against defenders.
Since 2012, the Philippines has been ranked as the deadliest country in Asia for people protecting land and the environment, with mining linked to a third of all killings documented by Global Witness.
Hanna Hindstrom, Senior Investigator at Global Witness, said:
“The Philippines’ mining resurgence could spell disaster for the environment and its defenders, with Indigenous land and biodiversity hotspots at risk of becoming collateral damage in the global scramble to reach net-zero.
“The world must rapidly transition away from fossil fuels and that will require some critical minerals. But the energy transition must not come at the expense of communities and climate-critical biodiversity. We cannot mine our way out of the climate emergency -- attempting to do so will only further imperil our planet and its people.”
As well as uncovering environmental and land rights issues, the report explores those responsible for killings and attacks against land and environmental defenders in the country.
Mines are often guarded by men with guns, with special military and paramilitary units mandated to protect state resources, working closely with mining companies.
Overall, the military was linked to the highest number of documented killings and detentions of defenders over the past decade, with 134 of the 298 killings from 2012 to 2023 (just under 45%) carried out by the military.
Marcos Jr’s government has failed to curb these military killings of land and environmental defenders. While the total number of killings have decreased since the end of Rodrigo Duterte’s presidency, the percentage of killings carried out by the military has surged over the past two years; in 2023, the military was responsible for 15 out of 17 (88%) defender killings, compared to eight out of 11 defenders (73%) in 2022.
In total, more than half (64 out of 117) of Indigenous defender killings between 2012 and 2023 were carried out by the military.
The report also uncovers evidence that the state body mandated to protect Indigenous rights is entangled with the state mechanisms used to criminalise and threaten Indigenous mining activists.
The four deadliest regions for Indigenous mining activists were all on the island of Mindanao. These were also among the top five regions with the biggest overlap between mining tenements and ancestral domains.
Commenting on the findings, Ana Celestial at Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment said:
“The Philippine government's relentless push for increased mining, disguised as a 'green' energy transition, is nothing less than a revival of colonial-era exploitation. This strategy facilitates massive land grabs and resource extraction, prioritising corporate profits over the rights and welfare of Indigenous communities and our rural poor. The military's oppressive role in silencing Indigenous and land defenders, in collusion with government agencies, has created an environment where land grabs by extractive industries are not merely tolerated but actively endorsed.
“Our natural wealth must serve the people—not multinational corporations. It is time to dismantle the oppressive structures that prioritise profit over life and establish a mining policy rooted in justice, equity, and true environmental stewardship."
The report also notes that enforced disappearances have skyrocketed under Marcos Jr’s term in office, resulting in a chilling effect on communities. Global Witness recorded seven defender disappearances in 2023 alone. Most abductions reportedly happen in heavily militarised areas.