A materialist-idealist divide? Policy and practice in participatory mangrove rehabilitation in the Philippines

•Participatory forestry should be reflective about the materialist-idealist divide and its inconsistencies in both policy and practice.•Policies should look beyond the conventional measures of success and consider the transforming network among interest groups.•Decentralization of power is given as an impetus by the traditional authority after capitalizing on the rhetoric of participation.•Long-term sustainability would come to emerge when tangible benefits are perceived as instrumental to human wellbeing.