Miriam College Environmental Studies Institute - ESI

06/07/2026

ESI, represented by Executive Director Dr. Mundita Sison-Lim and Program Assistant Catherina Ska Binuya, participated in USBONG: A Transdisciplinary Forum on Nature-based Solutions (NbS) last June 30 to July 2, 2026 at Novotel Manila Araneta City.

The forum included expert panel discussions with topics like the current policies on Nbs and climate-resilient infrastructure and financing. Several organizations ranging from community-led cooperatives and big corporations also shared their NbS practices in the forum. Honey from community NbS, interactive sandbox flood modelling, and other local and national NbS initiatives were showcased outside the forum at the Paleng-Kultura: USBONG Marketplace.

Thank you once again to Forest Foundation Philippines for inviting us to USBONG: A Transdisciplinary Forum on Nature-based Solutions!

29/06/2026

24/06/2026

TIMES Higher Education ranking 2026 results. The focused work of ESI in Climate Action and Reforestation are reflected on these impact ratings.

22/06/2026

A coastal uplift event occurred with the strong earthquakes that devastated Mindanao last June 8, 2026, pushing previously submerged corals and seagrass areas to the surface.

Dr. Sison-Lim, Executive Director of ESI, was interviewed by Business Mirror to comment on the phenomenon: “Suitable habitats may have been displaced, damaged, buried, or exposed. Rescue and relocation efforts should therefore be carefully assessed and guided by marine scientists, rather than undertaken as an automatic or stand-alone response,”

Read more in the article below.

On that fateful morning of June 8, scared townspeople witnessed the crushing down of buildings and destruction of other structures brought by the magnitude 7.8 offshore earthquake off the municipality of Maasim, in Sarangani province in Mindanao. However, besides the already horrific sights in the s...

16/06/2026

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEWLY-APPOINTED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR!

The Environmental Studies Institute is proud to welcome our newly-appointed Executive Director, Dr. Theresa Mundita Sison-Lim. Dr. Sison-Lim brings to ESI extensive expertise in leadership, sustainability, biodiversity governance, and strategic partnership-building. ESI looks forward to the institute’s future with her direction.

ESI thanks Sr. Marvelous L. Misolas, MM, outgoing Executive Director, for her guidance and service.

Dr. Theresa Mundita Sison-Lim has been appointed as Executive Director of the Miriam College Environmental Studies Institute - ESI.

Dr. Lim is an internationally recognized leader in biodiversity conservation, environmental governance, and sustainable development, with over three decades of experience in public service, policy development, and international environmental cooperation.

She previously served as Executive Director of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (2018–2024), where she led regional initiatives on biodiversity conservation, sustainable financing, climate resilience, and ASEAN-wide environmental partnerships.

Prior to this, she served for 15 years in leadership roles at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), including as Director of the Biodiversity Management Bureau.

Dr. Lim has represented the Philippines and ASEAN in major global environmental negotiations and multilateral platforms, including the Convention on Biological Diversity, UN climate conferences, and biodiversity mainstreaming initiatives.

She brings to ESI extensive expertise in leadership, sustainability, biodiversity governance, and strategic partnership-building.

11/06/2026

We often ask:
"Bakit laging baha?"
"Bakit mainit na ang panahon?"
"Bakit unti-unti nang nawawala ang kalikasan?"

But the better question is:

"Ano ang ginagawa natin para baguhin ito?"

In Tanay, Rizal, Miriam College - Environmental Studies Institute (MC-ESI), Forest Foundation Philippines, LGUs, and local communities are proving that protecting forests is not just about planting trees. It's about creating livelihoods, restoring biodiversity, building climate resilience, and empowering people to take care of our environment.

Be part of forest conservation and restoration, be one of our partners. Help us by sharing this post and inspire others to become part of the movement.

08/06/2026

Last May 27, 2026, a superpod of hundreds of dolphins was spotted at the Apo Reef Natural Park in Occidental Mindoro. The rare event highlighted the importance of preserving our oceans to support the natural way of life of its inhabitants and the people that depend on them.

The ocean is vital for everyone and everything everywhere.

“Reimagine: Beyond the world we know, a new relationship with our ocean”, the theme for World Oceans Day 2026, pushes us to reframe our image of the ocean not just as a large body of water, but as a major and critical ecosystem and connects our lives with the lives of everything within the waters.

24/05/2026

22/05/2026

Mga Kwentong Dumagat Remontado sa Pangangalaga ng Sierra Madre sa Gitna ng Banta sa Pagbabago ng Klima. Ito po ay isang learning exchange ng mga Dumagat Remontado. Dinaluhan ito ng halos 30 katutubong IP leaders ng Tanay kinatawan ng 11 barangay at sitio.