EXCLUSIVE: Group warns — protect Sierra Madre now or face stronger, deadlier storms

As memes and social media posts urging the protection of the Sierra Madre mountain range continue to circulate online, the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED) affirmed that the natural barrier shielding Luzon from destructive typhoons is indeed under serious threat.

“Unfortunately, Sierra Madre faces significant threats from deforestation, mining activities, and infrastructure projects like the Kaliwa Dam. If these destructive activities in Sierra Madre continue, we risk losing 40 percent of the Philippines’ total forest cover. The island of Luzon will be left to suffer severe typhoons, flooding, and landslides,” said Ivan Andres, Deputy Head of Research and Policy of CEED, in an email interview with the DAILY TRIBUNE.

He noted that the damage to the range also affects the country’s waterways.

“Erosion and sedimentation from deforestation and mining can pollute freshwater and marine ecosystems. This can lead to scarcity in the clean water supply in Metro Manila and the surrounding areas in Luzon. Once watersheds are affected, the impacts ripple all the way to the oceans, harming coastal and marine waters and resulting in reduced fish stocks and loss of biodiversity,” Andres said.

The Sierra Madre is home to most of Luzon’s bird species and several endemic wildlife species. Losing it would result in “catastrophic biodiversity loss,” he warned.

“Super Typhoons Uwan, Tino, and other previous deadly typhoons are all stark reminders of how vulnerable we are from the impacts of the climate crisis, even with the Sierra Madre standing as a protective barrier. As the mountain range faces deforestation and mining, it is clear that the protection of our natural resources and barriers is also the protection of our communities,” Andres said.

He added that the government must also confront the root cause of increasingly destructive storms.

“Halting fossil fuel developments must also be among our government’s key climate mitigation efforts, especially since we are coming a decade after the Paris Agreement,” he said. “With the UN Climate Conference (COP30) underway in Belem, it is an opportune time for the DENR and the whole of government to strengthen our national climate targets, starting with protecting critical ecosystems and straying away from fossil fuel reliance.”

The Sierra Madre serves as Luzon’s first line of defense against typhoons, slowing down and disrupting storm systems as they make landfall. It also functions as a major carbon sink, storing carbon dioxide and helping moderate temperatures that contribute to stronger storms.

The mountain range is home to more than 3,500 plant species—58 percent of them endemic—supporting Indigenous and local communities who rely on agroforestry and natural resource cultivation for livelihood.