Willingness to Participate in Coastal Resource Management

The Case of Coastal Communities in the Municipality of Lupon, Davao Oriental, Philippines

Abstract

The Philippines is struggling between increasing fishery production and conserving its coastal and marine resources. The problem also extends to protection initiatives suitable to the needs of local resource users. The concern for sustaining production and the environment, however, can be pursued through policy evaluation and stronger community participation in coastal resource management (CRM) programs. Hence, this study was conducted to assess the potential participation of coastal communities in Lupon to local CRM efforts. Policies affecting communities’ use of coastal resources were determined as well as the community’s awareness of the policies, factors affecting participation in CRM efforts, and strategies to protect coastal resources. The policies were gathered through government agencies, online reports, and journal articles while primary data were gathered through household interviews. Descriptive and binary logistic regression analyses were employed to assess community awareness of the regulations and the factors affecting willingness. Findings revealed community awareness to regulations that have direct impacts to their livelihood and positive views on participating in CRM initiatives. The logit regression further indicated important predictors of participation, which included sex, age, boat ownership, perceived effectivity of regulations, and awareness of CRM efforts. More conservation strategies should be introduced to the communities such as creation of artificial reefs. More government efforts should also be done in the enforcement and dissemination of information and regulations, which may be through increased visibility of authorities, stricter penalties for violators, or seminars. This research also suggested the participation of nongovernment organizations and the academe for the success of CRM programs.