General Nakar is the largest municipality of Quezon Province, covering 161,640 hectares, but with one of its smallest populations – 29,705 inhabitants in 2015. It is home to the Agta-Dumagat tribes. Several major watersheds that supply neighbouring municipalities and Metro Manila are also found within its territory. It is considered a key biodiversity area with several endemic and native flora and fauna species. However, its forest cover dwindled from 57% in 1993 to 17% in 2015. This was driven by the conversion of forests to agriculture or monoculture plantations. Elevated youth migration to larger municipalities and cities has been observed in recent decades, as a result of limited education and work opportunities locally.

General Nakar is the oldest and largest ancestral domain for one of the main indigenous peoples of the Philippines and people perceive that the forest will protect them from floods and other natural disasters. Lots of out migration due to lack of high education and jobs

A Youth Visioning Workshop was hosted April 2018 and 12 participants were between 15-18 years old.

Most important findings:  Dream jobs are based on novelty (jobs with uniforms are appealing, such as soldiers.)… but when you asked WHERE they want to be they say they want to be here [in the community] due to fresh air, the proximity to family and friends, etc.  These two desires are not equal.

Youth view tourism = economic development, as the area is already pretty popular as a tourist spot. Some youth want to manage restaurants or own hotels. 

Parents are the ones encouraging their kids to leave. If your child completes higher education, you display the kid’s diploma, you boast about his/her career. The driving force of what youth want out of their career is what the parents want for them: stature/status, upper class.

Parents want their kids to have a different future, to be lifted out of poverty. Unlike children of lowland farmers, the youth here don’t have land they can come back to and inherit, because their parents don’t actually own the forest land.

Most surprising findings:  The shared experience of the flood in 2004, remembering the trees and logs sliding down from the mountain.