Climate change presents new threat to Philippines’ UNESCO rice terraces

What the report says

Al Jazeera reported from Batad in Ifugao province, northern Philippines, that climate-driven extreme weather is adding pressure to the centuries-old rice terraces that form part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Batad is one of five terrace networks across four Ifugao towns inscribed by UNESCO in 1995, and the article describes this year’s Tinawon rice harvest rituals taking place beside visible landslide damage.

According to the report, Super Typhoon Fung-wong in November 2025 caused a landslide that killed two residents, destroyed a centuries-old irrigation canal and damaged about 2.2 hectares of rice fields, affecting 150 farmers. Batad had also experienced landslides in 2011, 2023 and 2025. Marlon Martin of the Save the Ifugao Terraces Movement told Al Jazeera that dry spells can crack the terrace soil, while sudden heavy rain then enters those cracks and accelerates erosion or collapse.

Steve Baccay, head of Ifugao’s Provincial Agriculture and Environment Office, estimated that Batad needs the equivalent of $500,000 for restoration after the November landslide. Residents have used the traditional communal labour practice known as bachang to repair damaged irrigation, while social welfare and labour agencies have provided emergency food and cash support. Al Jazeera reported, however, that further national government assistance is unlikely until the next fiscal year.

The story links Batad’s challenges to wider risks facing heritage sites in low- and middle-income countries. It cites an August 2025 Nature study finding that many UNESCO World Heritage Sites face climate-related stress and that conservation support is often weakest where vulnerability is high. For Ifugao leaders and elders, the terraces remain both a livelihood and a marker of cultural identity.