The Philippines has one of the highest biodiversity resources in the world, which sadly are also one of the most threatened globally. Climate change is projected to exacerbate the threats facing biodiversity worldwide but its local impacts in the Philippines have not been fully investigated. A series of focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with the general aim of determining the level of awareness of the participants on payment for environmental services (PES), climate change and biodiversity, and identifying adaptation options to cope with the adverse effects of climate change on biodiversity and upland farming. The first FGD was held in Kidapawan City on 22-23 May 2012 which is part of Mt. Apo Natural Park, and the second FGD in Malaybalay City on 7-8 June 2012, a part of Mt. Kitanglad Range National Park. Both Protected Areas have high land‐based biological diversity in terms of flora and fauna.

Participants from the local government units, non-government organizations, academe, and other organizations that are part of the Protected Area Management Bureau (PAMB) of Mt. Apo and Mt. Kitanglad attended the event. Guided by key questions, responses were solicited from participants particularly on the challenges they faced in managing both protected areas and services derived from Mt. Apo and Mt. Kitangland in light of climate change. Some interesting responses from the participants in Kidapawan City are about how climatic events such as El Niño is affecting the crops, biodiversity, income, soil, and water and how they are coping with those impacts.

The FGD is a component of a USAID-funded project, Mainstreaming Climate Change in Biodiversity Planning and Conservation in the Philippines, which aims to develop mechanisms and measures to integrate climate change adaptation considerations in biodiversity project planning and implementation within various sectors of the government and their partners.