John Charles A. Altomonte
- Project name: Preventing Screw-ups with Screwpines: Mapping and Protecting Threatened Pandanus in the Pantabangan-Carranglan Watershed
- Project site: Pantabangan-Carranglan Watershed Forest Reserve, Luzon Island, Philippines
- EDGE species: Pandanus pallidus, Pandanus philippinensis, Pandanus cumingianus and Pandanus simplex
- Active: 2025 - ongoing
Biography
John is an Adjunct Faculty member at the Ateneo de Manila University’s Department of Environmental Science and a Board Member of the Philippine Taxonomic Initiative. He also leads Verne Energy Solutions, a company delivering sustainable energy projects across the Philippines.
With a background in environmental science and management, John is passionate about integrating conservation with policy, forest governance, and community empowerment. His work has contributed to the discovery of new plant species and the development of regional biodiversity checklists in the Pantabangan-Carranglan Watershed Forest Reserve. Through the EDGE Fellowship, John seeks to bridge science and action by safeguarding overlooked plant species, building capacity among local researchers, and helping shape conservation policies grounded in community participation.
John is particularly interested in countering “plant blindness” in conservation and amplifying the value of threatened flora in national and local decision-making processes.
EDGE Project
John’s vision is a future where threatened species of Pandanus—locally known as ‘pandan’—are formally recognised and protected within the forest management plans of the Pantabangan-Carranglan Watershed Forest Reserve in the Philippines.
His EDGE Fellowship will map and assess four EDGE-listed Pandanus species, working with local communities and indigenous groups to understand their cultural and ecological importance. By integrating scientific data and traditional knowledge, the project aims to secure a future for these unique species through their inclusion in the region’s official Protected Area Management Plan.
