Palawan: When mining ends, the heavy equipment leave, but crews remain to reshape slopes, return topsoil that was once removed, plant native trees, and maintain them for years until the land recovers. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) explained that the work is far from over after minerals have been extracted.
According to Philippines News Agency, "It is the responsibility of the company to at least bring back the forest na natanggal (which was removed) during the mining activity," Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Felizardo Cayatoc said in an interview over the weekend, adding that it is the responsibility of mining companies to nurture and take care of the trees. This process, which takes years, is unfolding across rehabilitated mine sites in southern Palawan.
Mining companies said restoring disturbed land is not an afterthought but a legal obligation that continues long after ore has been extracted. Cayatoc said rehabilitation does not stop once seedlings are planted, as companies are required to maintain rehabilitated areas before they can be turned over, after which, local government units and communities help protect them with technical support from the DENR.
"The DENR will give the technical support. Magre-train ng mga personnel ng local government units, including the community as deputized environment and natural resources officers para sila 'yung makakatulong (We will train personnel from local government units, including the community, as deputized environment and natural resources officers so they can help) protect," he said. Rehabilitated mine sites are eventually incorporated into Forest Land Use Plans, where they are generally designated as protection zones to allow forests to continue recovering.
Restoring a mined landscape involves more than planting trees. It requires rebuilding the conditions that allow a forest to grow again. At Rio Tuba Nickel Corp.'s Ecosystems Laboratory, mine environmental protection and enhancement manager Janice Tupas said rehabilitation begins by recontouring the land to stabilize slopes, replacing topsoil, and planting native and endemic species suited to the area.
"So sa pagmimina, hindi lang siya natatapos sa permit ng mining permit. Para makapagmina ka, tree-cutting permit. So requirement din po sa atin ang pagkakaroon ng rehabilitation plan sa mga (So in mining, it doesn't just end with the mining permit. To mine, you also need a tree-cutting permit. So it is also a requirement for us to have a rehabilitation plan in) mined out areas," she said. Citinickel Mines and Development Corporation mine engineer Carlo Javarez said the process follows the same pattern by which forests naturally regenerate.
The goal is to recreate the conditions that allow an ecosystem to recover gradually rather than attempting to establish a mature forest all at once. "Sa unang part, ang ginagawa natin ay nire-re-enact natin 'yung succession ng nature. May primary species muna, mga damo, para tumaba muna 'yung lupa, then secondary species, and then climax species. 'Yun na 'yung mga hardwood, pero ipinapasok natin 'yun kapag nag-progress na 'yung ating rehabilitation (In the first part, what we do is reenact the succession of nature. There are primary species first, like grasses, to enrich the soil, then secondary species, and then climax species. Those are the hardwoods, but we introduce them once our rehabilitation has progressed)," he said.
Tupas also shared that to achieve a successful rehabilitation, the company deliberately plants species already found in the surrounding forests. "So ang ginagamit din natin mga species na itinatanim ay 'yung mga native and endemic species na matatagpuan din dito sa ating area. Kasi mas kilala sila ng mga wildlife at madali silang mag-acclimatize dun sa site natin (So the species we use for planting are the native and endemic species that can also be found in our area. Because wildlife is more familiar with them and they easily acclimate to our site)," Tupas said.
The area visited by the DENR was declared mined out in 2008. Eighteen years later, it has become what the company calls its Ecosystems Laboratory - a site where the gradual return of vegetation and wildlife can be observed. "Our ultimate goal is to restore biodiversity and the functionality of this area. So kung it's a forest before, kung hindi man (So if it was a forest before, if not) exactly the same forest, at least near to its nearest state," Tupas said. She said one unexpected result has been the return of a natural spring.
"Possible po ang pagre-rehabilitate o 'yung pagbabalik ng function ng isang napagminahang area into its benefits na nakukuha din natin sa mga previous na forest (It is possible to rehabilitate or restore the function of a mined area to the benefits we also get from previous forests)," she said.
For forest technician Jovencio Catadman, rehabilitation begins where ordinary reforestation usually does not. "Challenges sa isang mining site is ang bottom natin po is bato (in a mining site, our bottom is rock)," he said.
The former mine site, covering 25 hectares, was rehabilitated immediately after mining ended in May 2008 under the company's progressive rehabilitation program and now serves as a demonstration area, showing how vegetation develops over nearly two decades. Meanwhile, Javarez said that rehabilitating a nickel mine presents a unique challenge because the mineral being extracted is found in the soil itself.
"Ang pinaka challenge natin sa gitna ng operations, sa nickel kasi ang minimina natin dito ay 'yung lupa. So ang nagiging challenge sa nickel mining is papano siya ire-rehabilitate kasi naubos na 'yung lupa, so kailangan nating mag-reintegrate ng solutions (The biggest challenge we face in the middle of operations, in nickel because what we mine here is the land. So the challenge in nickel mining is how to rehabilitate it because the land has been depleted, so we need to reintegrate solutions)," Javarez said.
One rehabilitation area visited was declared mined out only in 2025, illustrating how restoration begins as soon as mining is completed while older sites continue to mature. Berong Nickel Corp. environmental protection officer Jaypee Dela Cruz said the company is implementing the same long-term approach to ensure successful rehabilitation.
He said that site visitors are brought through rehabilitation areas of different ages so they can see how landscapes change over time. "So 'yung goal natin, makita natin from year zero, ano 'yung itsura nya (So our goal is to see from year zero, what it looks like) up to year 15," he said. Dela Cruz said the company has rehabilitated about 80 percent of its 137-hectare target area.
"Currently, nasa 97 percent 'yung survival rate ng mga itinatanim po namin (the survival rate of the plants we are cultivating is at 97 percent)," he said, attributing the high survival rate to the use of native tree species, including agoho and batino.
For Javarez, rehabilitation is only one part of responsible mine management, noting that mining operations are planned with environmental protection, community welfare, and economic benefits in mind. "Considerations, dapat environmentally sound, ibig sabihin wala kaming naapektuhan na buhay sa communities, pati sa mga tao namin (it should be environmentally sound, meaning we do not affect lives in the communities or our people). We also give respect to the surrounding livelihood, like agricultural farms and fishing industries," Javarez said.
He said that planning also extends beyond the productive life of the mine. "Pinaka-critical is 'yung afterlife ng mine. Kapag umalis na 'yung mine, ano na 'yung magiging lagay ng mga tao? Isa yun sa mga tinitingnan (The most critical part is the afterlife of the mine. When the mine leaves, what will happen to the people? That's one of the) factors in handling operations," he said.
Cayatoc acknowledged the negative public perception about mining because the public sees only the active excavation. "Actually, ang pagkakaalam kasi ng public, iniisip nila talaga na mamimina lahat iyon, puputulin yung kahoy," he said. He said the rehabilitation site visit aims to show what happens after mining.
Dela Cruz recognizes that it is impossible to bring back the forest to its 100 percent original form, as the place was disturbed, but stressed that rehabilitation aims to replicate at least 80 to 90 percent of its original forest form. Across the rehabilitated sites in southern Palawan, the signs of recovery are now visible in trees that have matured over nearly two decades, native species taking root, and ecosystems slowly rebuilding themselves.
For those overseeing the work, they are reminders that the end of mining is not the end of the story. Rather, it is the beginning of another, much longer process. From a distance, it looks like any young forest in southern Palawan. Agoho trees stand several meters high, while native plants blanket the slopes. Birds move through the canopy, as fallen leaves slowly enrich the soil. Only those who know the site's history would realize that it was once a mined-out area where nickel ore had been extracted.
