For Earth Day 2018, our team pitched we feature trees native to the Philippines in a sticker collection. The goal: highlight trees indigenous or endemic to the country.

The first illustration I made was of the Narra tree, Pterocarpus indicus. Though commonly seen in urban areas in the Philippines and is the National Tree, it is a threatened species in the wild (IUCN).

The Talisay, Terminalia catappa, is one of my favorite Philippine trees. It is common along beaches, and its umbrella-like canopy shades beach-goers up and down the country. It is one of the few trees in this tropical setting whose leaves change color.

Another favorite of mine, the Bagras or Rainbow Gum, Eucalyptus deglupta. It is native to the island of Mindanao, but can be found here and there all around the country.

This was a Bagras we found on Camiguin Island in northern Mindanao.

The reason the Haribon Foundation highlights native trees is because unfortunately, reforestation projects in the country have involved exotic species, or species native to places OUTSIDE the Philippines: chosen for being faster-growing, or simply for aesthetic purposes.

Because of this local forests have suffered due to invasive exotics, or exotics that don't survive well in the face of tropical storms or a tropical climate in general.