Moment of Reflection for the Thriving Together with Tamaraw Consortium

From February 25-27, 2026, the Thriving Together with Tamaraw Consortium, gathering the D’ABOVILLE Foundation and Demo Farm, Inc. (DAF), Mindoro Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Inc. (MBCFI), and Re:wild, held its second Pause and Reflect Workshop.

The workshop provided a dedicated space to review key lessons learned and good practices from Year 2 of project implementation. It also aimed to strengthen alignment across outputs, support adaptive management, and guide coordinated planning for Year 3.

A key insight that emerged from the discussions was the complexity of working across different knowledge systems. Engagement with Indigenous Peoples (IPs), who primarily rely on oral traditions and memory-based practices, presents a contrast to more conventional approaches centered on written documentation, formal planning structures, timelines, and budgeting systems. This highlighted the need for more flexible and culturally responsive ways of working.

Participants also developed a comprehensive Year 3 activity calendar, visually mapping out the planned stream of work. While this exercise provided clarity, it also revealed the scale and intensity of the proposed activities, particularly under certain outputs, which may be ambitious given existing time and human resource constraints. This results in a collective reflection on how to better calibrate expectations and define realistic standards for success.

Discussions further explored the potential for scaling the project beyond Mindoro, highlighting the importance of enabling systems within government to support replication and expansion of collaborative conservation approaches. At the same time, exchanges among administrative and finance teams highlighted the practical realities of implementation. Working in provincial contexts in the Philippines often requires adaptive strategies and creative problem-solving, as operational conditions can differ significantly from those in urban centers or international settings.

By the end of the session, the consortium clarified priority actions, addressed cross-cutting concerns, and achieved stronger alignment across all outputs. The workshop also reinforced collaboration among partners and ensured readiness for the Y3 implementation phase.

The Thriving Together with Tamaraw: Lasting Solutions for Collaborative Tamaraw Landscape Project has five key outputs:

1. Supportive Framework

2. Information

3. Lasting Capacity

4. Threat Monitoring & Management

5. Collaborative Landscape Management

This reflection process serves as an important internal checkpoint to maintain continued progress and ensure that implementation remains responsive, coordinated, and aligned with shared goals.