Traditional Environmental Practices of the Eva Aetas: The Value of Indigenous Knowledge in Rehabilitation

The Eva Aetas are custodians of a degraded upland environment in Sitio Pita Bayan-bayanan, a small community in the town of Orion, Bataan, the Philippines. Having lived there for seven decades, they have watched their ancestral land decay from a lush forest to barren grassland. Acknowledging the fact that they have played an active role in its degradation, the Eva Aetas have transformed their environmental practices to adapt to their situation. From crop choice to harvesting methods and ethnomedicine, they provide various means to maximize the minimal outputs of grasslands and possibly allow its eventual rehabilitation. The use of development communication and the application of relevant local policies provide the means as to how their current situation could be remedied.