The terraces are located approximately 1500 meters (5000 ft) above sea level and cover 10,360 square kilometers (about 4000 square miles) of mountainside. They are fed by an ancient irrigation system from the rainforests above the terraces. These high rice fields of the Ifugaos are believed to be a 2,000 year-old technology handed down from one generation to the next. It is evidence of a high level of knowledge of structural and hydraulic engineering on the part of those who built the terraces. The knowledges and practices, supported by rituals, involved in maintaining the terraces are transferred orally from generation to generation, without written records. While rice terraces are found throughout the world, the terraces in the Philippine Cordilleras are unique because they are located in higher altitudes and steeper slopes.

The rice terraces of the Philippine Cordillera is a UNESCO Heritage Site that has been classified as “endangered” simply because the art and skill of building these terraces are dying and there is no systematic monitoring program or a comprehensive management plan in place. About 30% of the terraces are abandoned and are in disrepair. (Things are changing though, the Cordillera peoples are very proud of their heritage, they are one of the few unconquered tribes in the Philippines and many young people are staying to conserve their customs and traditions.)

More at Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras – UNESCO World Heritage Centere.