The Municipality of Del Carmen in Surigao del Norte, Philippines was recognized as one of the 2025 Green Destinations Top 100 Stories for their efforts in managing their mangrove forest.

Del Carmen received the recognition under the “Destination Management” category during the unveiling of the 2025 Top 100 list at the Green Destinations Global Conference 2025 last September 28-30, 2025 at Montpellier, France.

Del Carmen’s mangrove management story and best practices was published by Green Destinations in a document titled, “Former Illegal Mangrove Cutting Capital Now a Wetlands of International Importance,” which highlights the municipality’s challenges, solutions, achievements, and lessons learned.

Del Carmen is one of the four destinations in Southeast Asia recognized in the 2025 Top 100 list, joining Isabela de Basilan and Subic Bay in the Philippines and Jatiluwih Village in Indonesia.

Based in the Netherlands, Green Destination (separated into two independent entities, the Green Destination Foundation and Green Destination Solutions) is a global organization that supports sustainable destinations, their businesses and their communities. For destinations, the organization evaluates their sustainability performance; provides virtual training modules, coaching programs, and support toolkits; and offers global recognition for accomplishing the ascertained benchmarks.

Del Carmen is a member of ICLEI. Its mayor, Alfredo Coro II, is also currently part of the Regional Executive Committee of ICLEI Southeast Asia and the ICLEI Global Executive Committee as the Biodiversity, Water, and One Health Portfolio holder.

Del Carmen’s mangrove restoration and management journey was also documented through an ICLEI SEA case study published in 2024.