This study determined the local ecological knowledge (LEK) on the uses of plants in the Philippine teak forest (PTF) landscape and proposed a framework for conservation practitioners reconciling anthropogenic change drivers and ecological values of the PTF. Using techniques in participatory resource appraisal (PRA), facilitated focused group discussion (FGD), and key informant interviews (KIIs), the information on LEK on the plant uses were gathered among the villagers in the lasang (satoyama) and baybay (satoumi) in Batangas City and the municipality of Lobo, Batangas Province. Results show that the local community in the study site had a good perception of the multiple ecological functions of the Philippine teak (Tectona philippinensis) forest. The PTF is integral in the lives of the local community as a component wood source for the construction of their dwellings and shelters of domestic farm animals. Cultivated plants in the agroecosystems were observed as best alternatives to sustain the harvesting of some indigenous plants such as Vitex parviflora and T. philippinensis for the livelihood and material culture of the local population. Since the old times, molave (V. parviflora) trees have been used to build houses of the century-old dwellings in the localities, suggesting that the species had been dwindling its abundance in the wild. This could also explain the reason for the dominance of T. philippinensis in a dry limestone habitat in Lobo, Batangas, where V. parviflora is expected naturally to overlap. The PTF is one of the locally valuable resources affected by urbanization, infrastructure development, and agricultural expansion resulting in forest fragmentation. However, there are still locally learned practices that may serve as localized models of harmonious human-forest interaction. In the proposed framework, understanding the local drivers of threats to the PTF will allow the policy, regulatory, and research institutions to address these challenges, invest in conservation networking, and do the restoration for the species as well as the forest ecosystem levels. Conservation approaches can be highly varied but localized, building from local knowledge, stakeholder values, and peculiarities of the PTF environment. As soon as other plant resources in the landscape are exhausted for dwellings, firewood, and boatmaking, other locally lesser-used species might be misused by the locals in the future. Hence, to preserve the natural patches of native plants from the ridge to coast, institutional support should be given to the local communities as they integrate these indigenous floras in their farms, homegardens, and safe public sites for posterity use values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]