Meet Team Malindang

The group explores the Makiling Botanic Garden at

the University of the Philippines Los Baños campus.

(c) L. Barrientos

Three graduate students from the Master of Development Practice program of the University of Minnesota have embarked on a nine-week field experience (aka field school/project) in the Philippines. Abdiwahab Ali, Felipe Dyna Barroso, and Maria Victoria Punay will be working towards nominating Mount Malindang Range Natural Park for a designation as UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The team will examine its viability as a potential biosphere reserve through review of related literature, knowledge-sharing with regional organizations, consultation with local stakeholders and concerned indigenous communities, and a site visit. The team members’ diverse backgrounds reflect UNESCO’s interdisciplinary and multifaceted approach to conservation and development. Felipe, who hails from Brazil, brings in his background on economic development, Abdiwahab, a Somali-American, builds on his research interest on international agriculture, and Mavic, whose home country is the Philippines, shares her work and research experience on conservation sciences.

The field experience will run from May 25 to July 24, 2015. Ultimately, the team envisions developing a process framework that management authorities in the country could use should they consider nominating their sites for UNESCO designations.

MDP Program Coordinator David Wilsey serves as the team’s faculty adviser. The field experience is supported by the Stassen International Grant, MDP-ICGC Program Funds, the Philippines’ National Commission for UNESCO, and the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources through the Biodiversity Management Bureau.