CONTESTED GROUNDS: NAVIGATING ENVIRONMENTAL VS SOCIAL AND INSTITUTIONAL CONFLICTS IN UP DILIMAN ARBORETUM

The UP Diliman Arboretum represents a contested urban landscape where nature protection, social justice, and institutional development intersect, resulting in conflicts among conservation priorities, communitysettlement, and governance. The present study considers the roles of stakeholders, including the UP administration, arboretum community, academic institutions, and environmental supporters, using a power-interest matrix to demonstrate how authority, negotiation, and daily practices influence land use and community dynamics. As both a protected green space and a site of long-term habitation facing development pressures, the Arboretum exemplifies persistent and evolving tensions rooted in shifting values and priorities, often to the detriment of the environment, which cannot speak for itself. Ultimately, this case illustrates how contested ecologies mirror broader struggles over environment, equity, and development, with outcomes determined by the collaboration of different outlooks and actions.