This study explored the experiences of local community members living in and around Taal Lake, a protected area that is also the exclusive home of the only freshwater sardine in the world, the tawilis. It used the grounded theory approach to understand the social psychological dimensions of biodiversity conservation in the Philippines. Data from participant observation, archival resources, and semi-structured in-depth interviews were gathered, coded, and analyzed to arrive at a data-driven model of the process of a local communitys valuing and protecting a threatened species and its ...