Case Study: Community-Based

Ecotourism Activities

in Donsol, Sorsogon:

Seeing Ecotourism as a

Conservation Tool

Towards Sustainable Development

Personal photos of Vinson Serrano taken May 2010

Serrano, Vinson P.

Plan 201A

University of the Philippines- Diliman

School of Urban and Regional Planning

Donsol, Sorsogon

An Ecotourism Destination

Donsol is a coastal town with a total land area of 152.99 sq. km. and

is located at the northwestern part of the province of Sorsogon,

which occupies the southern terminus of the Bicol Peninsula.

Of the total land area, about 25.64 sq. km. comprises the built-up

urban area and 15.68 sq. km. is devoted to agricultural

purposes, and about 13.86 sq. km. is reserved for recreational and

tourism purposes. Some 5.33 sq. km. of undifferentiated

lands including waterways of are not fully developed.

Personal photos of Vinson Serrano taken May 2010

Donsol, Sorsogon

Google Earth Image taken May 2010

Source: BSWM- Donsol CLUP

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It is geographically located about 12° 54' 26.896" north latitude and

123° 36' 28.867" east longitude.

It is 66 kilometers away from the City of Sorsogon and 51 kilometers

away from the City of Legazpi in the province of Albay

A provincial road connects Donsol to the municipality of Pilar while

provision for road network connecting Donsol to the two adjacent

municipalities of Jovellar and Pioduran has been considered and

included in the development plan of the municipality.

The settlement role of the municipality of Donsol under the Sorsogon

Provincial Physical Frameworks Plan, Year 1993- 2002 is that of a small

town. Its principal role therefore is as a Small Agri-Processing.

Sitting on the northwestern part of Sorsogon Province, Donsol marks

the provincial boundary on the northwest, adjoining the province of

Albay. The town has 51 barangays, 11 of which are

situated in the coastal areas of the municipality.

Donsol Comprehensive Land Use Plan. Local Government Unit of Donsol,Sorsogon. 07/17/2009.

Community-Based Ecotourism and Coastal Resources Management Project in Donsol, Sorsogon.

http://www.wwf.org.ph/about.php?pg=wwd&sub1=00011. 07/17/2009.

Donsol, Sorsogon

With a population of 39,995, population growth is relatively

high, at an annual rate of 3.23%, higher than the national

average of 2.36%.

In January 1998, the sudden discovery of whale sharks or Butanding

(Rhincodon Typus) along the shores of Donsol, Sorsogon in the Bicol

region have turned a once-quiet town from an ill-equipped

community into a potential ecotourism destination in the country.

Such discovery brought an influx of tourists and unprecedented

effects of the growing community development giving rise to several

community development problems. Moreover, the concept of

ecotourism is to be further established in the operations of the

municipal planning development as it aims to become an effective

tool for conservation towards sustainable development.

In a span of five years, Donsol, Sorsogon was transformed from a fifth class

municipality to third class due to the economic benefits and contribution of this activity.

to ecotourism activities.

Serrano, Vinson P. Aquatika: Whale Shark Exploration Center. University of Santo Tomas Undergraduate Thesis. Espana,Manila. 03/2010.

Community-Based Ecotourism and Coastal Resources Management Project in Donsol, Sorsogon.

http://www.wwf.org.ph/about.php?pg=wwd&sub1=00011. 07/17/2009.

Inspite of the occurrence of whale sharks in other parts of the world, there is no other

place like Donsol, where the major school of whale sharks

is found at a particular time. Such sighting proved that the bodies of water in

Donsol are rich with the presence of phytoplanktons- microscopic species which are the main food

of these gentle giants. From then on, the continuous relationship of the whale sharks and the

shores of Donsol primarily gave more than enough opportunities to the locals and the neighboring

towns to economically sustain their everyday living as well as to divert their livelihood means of

fishing and farming to ecotourism activities.

Whale Shark Watching: Response to Threats

Whale Shark Conference in Perth,

Australia in May 2005

scientific experts and representatives from non-government organizations, inter-

governmental organizations, and the tourism industry from 23 countries

agreed that ecotourism, when appropriate, is the obvious answer to reverse

the effects of extractive uses of this magnificent creature.

Whale shark ecotourism has flourished in many

parts of the world, including Mexico, Belize,

and the Seychelles, as a sustainable and

equitable community-based venture.

Community-Based Ecotourism and Coastal Resources Management Project in Donsol, Sorsogon.

http://www.wwf.org.ph/about.php?pg=wwd&sub1=00011. 07/17/2009.

Assess the on-going activities and future

plans of development of Donsol,

Sorsogon in line with their main ecotourism

activity- the whale shark interaction.

Furthermore, it is aimed to assess impacts of

development on the locality and how

ecotourism is aimed to become a tool for

conservation towards sustainable

development.

Its objective is to look on the aspect of sustainable development that

will incorporate environmental, experiential,

sociocultural, and economic dimensions of

every step of development in the municipality.

Objectives of the Study

On the other hand, The International Ecotourism Society defines

Ecotourism as responsible travel to natural areas

that conserves the environment and improves the

welfare of local people.

Definition : Ecotourism and Carrying Capacity

According to The Australian National Ecotourism,

Ecotourism is defined as nature-based tourism that

involves education and interpretation of the natural

environment and is managed to be ecologically

sustainable.

Halpenny,E. Marine Ecotourism: Impacts, International Guidelines, and Best Practices Case Studies. The International Ecotourism Society. Burlington VT. 2002.

M.E.Wood. Ecotourism: Principles, Practices, and Policies.United Nations Environment Programme. UN Publication. 2002.

Lindberg, K. et.al. Ecotourism in the Asia-Pacific Region: Issues and Outlook. The International Ecotourism Society. 01/1998.

According to Halpenny (2002), carrying capacity is a measure of the amount of

human activity that a site can biophysically sustain without severely

changing its ecology. It aims to establish the limits of tourism development in a particular

towards the general concept of sustainability.

A. Peak Season

Butanding Arribada Festival

Whale Shark Interaction

Donsol : Tourism Activities

To assess the ecotourism activities of Donsol, Sorsogon and its

implications on urban development, provided below is the list of

annual activities of the municipality.

Donsol’s Tourist Attractions. http://www.nscb.gov.ph/ru5/overview/profiles/donsol/tourism.htm. 08/31/2009.

B. Off-Peak Season

Firefly Watching

Manta Ray Diving

The Grotto

Catundulan

Tuba Falls

The Astilleros Site

Tankulan Mangrove Ecopark

C. Daily Activity

Snorkeling

Boating

Scuba Diving

Donsol: Establishment of Carrying Capacity

•Inventory environment

•Maintain an inventory of all resources

•Experts Evaluation

•Identify all cultural and natural resources

•Evaluate available water and power resources

•Identify the specific kinds and levels of use

•Identify level of service proposed

•Estimate the maximum number of estimate effect of climatic

conditions

•Evaluate the extent of buildings, landscaping and equipment

Halpenny,E. Marine Ecotourism: Impacts, International Guidelines, and Best Practices Case Studies. The International Ecotourism Society. Burlington VT. 2002.

M.E.Wood. Ecotourism: Principles, Practices, and Policies.United Nations Environment Programme. UN Publication. 2002.

Lindberg, K. et.al. Ecotourism in the Asia-Pacific Region: Issues and Outlook. The International Ecotourism Society. 01/1998.

Source: BSWM- Donsol CLUP

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Base, General Land Use, Tourism and Transportation Facilities Map

• Conversion of agricultural

lands to tourism related use

• Sporadic development on

road networks brought by

linear development

• Receding coastline resulted

by climate change and

human intervention

• Poor waste management on

coastal barangays

• No provision of disaster risk

related facilties

• Urban fabric with no distinct

point affecting site

permeability and legibility

• Less provision of communal

spaces and facilities such as

parks and public recreation

center

• Rapid development of

accommodation facilities (of

various levels) along coastal

barangays with improper

provisions on setbacks

• Poor infrastructure

development (roads and

bridges)

• High density of human

settlements in the Poblacion

Area

• Poor sanitation and waste

management

• Lack of protective services

facilities thus pose threat of

terrorism

• Docking facilities with no

provision of regulation and

waste disposal contributes to

the environmental degradation

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Base, General Land Use, Tourism and Transportation Facilities Map

Source: BSWM- Donsol CLUP

Source: BSWM- Donsol CLUP

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Source: BSWM- Donsol CLUP

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Donsol: Ecotourism as Conservation Tool Towards

Sustainable Development

In view of ecotourism as a conservation tool towards sustainable

development, Donsol community stakeholders

played a vital role in the development of

ecotourism activities and on furthering

tourism value of the site through educational

infiltration. Based on their set of annual activities, Donsol has a

rotational operation to sustain the tourism sector that resulted to

drastic positive effects on economic, social, institutional and

environmental aspects.

Source: BSWM- Donsol CLUP

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Donsol: Ecotourism as Conservation Tool Towards

Sustainable Development

The good transition of responsibilities- from

accommodation, small-medium industries

supporting tourism, and other interconnected

industries have harmoniously organized a

circumventing proportionality of symbiosis- that each

and every industry supports one another and reduce the negative impacts

of overlapping activity. Thus, this has made Donsol as a good model of

ecotourism center in the Philippines, if not in the global perspective.

Donsol Ecotourism : Urban Development Implications:

Current Scenario and Recommendations

Donsol’s urban fabric

has been observed to develop on the idea of linear development

On the physical aspect, building regulations and

standards on setbacks were not strictly observed

thus needing an institutional revamp on the particular issue.

Integration of added protective services may address

the growing threat of terrorism and crime incidence by opposing militant

groups on the area.

Donsol Ecotourism : Urban Development Implications:

Current Scenario and Recommendations

As site permeability is concerned- the ability of people to access

the municipality in respect to proper urban form legibility, there are only

only two ways to access the current location of the visitor center from

inland towns and cities- either by water or land access.

In line with this, the proponent’s recommendation regarding the location of

the visitor center should be relocated due to the

overlapping developments on the Poblacion area.

This has resulted to various problems of transporation, security, health and

sanitation, and posses a bigger threat on environmental degradation.

Environment support facilities should be integrated on coast lines that will

be strengthened through policies or guidelines on accommodation

facilities. A provision of a central utilities system may

also be provided, to secure environmental protection on the sensitive

typology of the municipality.

Donsol Ecotourism : Urban Development Implications:

Current Scenario and Recommendations

Other tourism spots and attractions shown on the Municipal

Tourism Map should be explored and be strengthened to

redirect human settlements from rising within the barangay boundaries of

Poblacion area.

Development of open parks and spaces within the

municipality could open up opportunities for the small scale to medium

scale industries.

Donsol Ecotourism : Urban Development Implications:

Current Scenario and Recommendations

Disaster Risk Management Plan to prepare the

municipality in times of unwanted events that should be envisioned to

maintain good support on the tourism and livelihood of the municipality.

As the municipality is still predominant of agricultural lands, the

maximization of brownfield development should be

taken into consideration so as to secure food security and mainstream

income for Donsol in case of the absence of tourism influx.

FIN