The COVID-19 pandemic did not deter Higaonon and Bukidnon communities in Northern Mindanao in sustaining community conservation. 

The map below indicates the location of the indigenous tree nursery, women community gardens and tree-planting activities that were spurred on in the ICON Project (Indigenous Governance at the Forefront of Conservation Project, supported by Forest Foundation Philippines).

The Higaonon youth established their nursery through wildlings collection only, without purchasing any commercial seedlings. Communities also freely exchanged their tree seedlings with one another to increase the species they grew, such as molave, narra, teakwood, guiho, apitong, kamagong, ampion, spectabilis, balite, bangkal, anilao, bacan, salong, bansilay, tipolo, talisay, peanut tree, firetree, lambago and lawaan varieties. Fruit tree were also grown like mango, guava, guyabano, rambutan, cashew, lomboy, kamansi, lanzones and mangosteen

Tree-growing activities were held in Pagalungan and Tuburan in Cagayan de Oro Higaonon communities, and in Awang in the Dulangan Ancestral Domain in the last quarter of 2020.