Indigenous B’laan farmers in the southern Philippines have found a way to improve their livelihoods while conserving the environment. They collect and sell premium coffee beans that have been excreted by the wild Philippine palm civet in the forests of Mount Matutum. Civets are revered as sacred animals, which the community actively guards and protects. This approach contrasts with that of commercial civet coffee operations elsewhere in Southeast Asia, which have faced scrutiny over animal welfare concerns. The B’laan’s sustainable practice ensures that civets can continue to roam the forests unharmed and spread the seeds of coffee and fruit trees, thereby strengthening the local ecosystem. The coffee grown by the tribe is adapted to the forest ecosystem, and crops are nurtured along with forest trees. The coffee industry has allowed the B’laan to send their children to school, and, importantly, has shifted the community away from hunting and illegal logging. Civet coffee, called kopi luwak in Indonesia, can fetch upwards of $80 per cup in markets such as the US. The industry has a distinctive taste as a result of the animal’s instinctive cherry-picking of the ripest, sweetest and finest beans during its nighttime feeding. The region’s coffee plants have benefited from the tribe’s civet conservation efforts, thereby increasing the biodiversity of the area.
