Diverse ethnicities make up Filipinos with a majority able to speak English and read, making the world's second largest archipelago nation also one of the largest English-speaking and most literate of countries.

The current population, which stands at around 90 million, has a mixed ancestry linked to Spain, Malaysia, and the United States, among others. In general, Filipinos have embraced western culture, but still remain loyal to traditional Southeast Asian family and ethnic lineages.

The Philippines' Muslim population lives primarily in Mindanao Island, including many indigenous groups known collectively as the Lumad tribe. Unfortunately, the island’s long history of sectarian and political conflict has harmed local communities and led to increased degradation of natural resources.

Agriculture is a mainstay of local economies and livelihoods. The valley west of the Sierra Madre mountain range, known as the rice bowl of the Philippines, supplies people with food, while the Verde Passage gives provides fish and tourism revenue.

However, competing development goals, rapid population growth and internal migration have taken a toll on the country’s valuable natural resources and the rural communities that depend on them. CI is working to reduce human pressures on the environment in the Sierra Madre, Palawan, and Eastern Mindanao corridors, focusing on rural, high biological diversity areas where fertility rates are high. We continue to balance environmental protection and sustainable development by integrating human well-being concerns in our conservation strategy.