LESSONS FROM THE TERRACES I news & events
TRAVELS IN THE PHILIPPINE CORDILLERAS
British Landscape architect Charles Lamb travelled to the Philippine Cordilleras to research 2000-year-old water management techniques used by the indigenous tribes.
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or over 2000 years, tribes in the high mountain regions of northern Luzon - the Philippine Cordilleras - have developed and managed an irrigation system that captures water, slows its progress, and ultimately provides the lifeblood of the area by irrigating the terraces carved into the hillsides. Could aspects of such a system have contemporary applications, and if so, how practical would it be to translate these to the other side of the world? With these considerations in mind, the Philippines beckoned. The rice terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras are unique in the Philippines not only for their scale, but also for the way in which they are managed and cultivated by the local tribes. It is thought that the early settlers originated from mainland China, bringing with them their knowledge of terrace construction. In any event, the indigenous tribes have developed and managed a system that utilises the entirety of the
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