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 Participatory Rural Appraisal in the Coastal Ecosystem
of Mt. Malindang, Misamis Occidental EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Biodiversity Research Programme in Mindanao: Focus on Mount Malindang stands on a solid foundation in embarking on an endeavor that uses a new approach to address the crucial global issue of environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity. This comprehensive approach involves bottom-up, cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary efforts in addressing the complexity of problems associated with the loss of biodiversity. The programme has two phases, namely, the pre-implementation phase and the implementation phase. It is guided by the major goals of supporting biodiversity research that is need-based and relevant for development, strengthening capacity for research at the local level, and promoting genuine partnership which involves the local communities in the Philippines. In the programme's pre-implementation phase, the participatory approach was adopted in recognition of the necessity of determining with the people the needs, problems, opportunities and threats in biodiversity research for development. Thus, three ecosystem groups (upland, lowland and coastal) were tasked to conduct a participatory rural appraisal (PRA) in the northern bioregions of Mount Malindang. The PRA aimed to generate information on the biodiversity of these areas and the various factors underlying the dynamics of the population-environment interactions; among the expected outputs being the identification of areas of research and action for inclusion in the biodiversity research programme. Below is an overview of the activities undertaken in order to achieve such aims. The coastal ecosystem group (CEG) conducted the PRA in six different coastal barangays located in three selected municipalities in the province of Misamis Occidental: barangays Manla and Caluya in the municipality of Sapang Dalaga, barangays Punta Sulong and Punta Miray in the municipality of Baliangao, and barangays Danao and Panalsalan in the municipality of Plaridel. The methods used may be characterized as participatory, consultative, non-intrusive, friendly, adaptive and iterative with site-specific modifications, among others. Certain procedures were resorted to in each of the three major phases of the research, briefly described here. Prefieldwork Phase. Prior to the conduct of the fieldwork, the coastal ecosystem group underwent several activities to pave the way for the conduct of primary data gathering in the various barangays selected for the purpose. The prefieldwork phase consisted of the following activities: secondary data collection, processing and gaps analysis; entry protocols and preliminary preparation of communities; reconnaissance survey; processing and analysis of data gathered during the reconnaissance and preliminary preparation of communities; seminar/ workshop on PRA tools and participatory site identification together with invited key informants (KIs) and contact persons; participatory checklist preparation, and identification of PRA tools and preparation of fieldwork. The main criteria for the choice of fieldwork sites were contiguity and heterogeneity. Seven other criteria were considered, namely, interconnectivity with the lowland and upland ecosystems, acceptability to local government units, accessibility, biodiversity (cultural, human, natural resources, function, and structure), existence of problematic issues and threats concerning biodiversity conservation, security, and interest from the local community. Fieldwork Phase. For more than two weeks (1-17 May 1999), a smaller team was constituted from the CEG to conduct the preliminary data gathering activities together with the identified key informants who became members of the PRA team. Two days were spent for each barangay with maximum participation of and consultation with the members of the community. Triangulation methods were used during the whole process of data collection. The team's focus was directed at identifying the various floral and faunal compositions of the coastal communities, structure and functions thereof and the human interactions with them. Of particular concern was the effect of these human interactions on the environment. Specific methods used in the fieldwork were: the quick walk along the coast; resource, social and land use mapping; resource seasonal calendar and resource flow charting; transecting; nonstructured interviews; focus group discussions; ocular observations; and data crosschecking. Preliminary processing was done with the gathered data highlighting features of each barangay and related problems. Also, a preliminary identification was done of researchable areas derived from the related problems. Post-fieldwork Phase. Activities conducted after the primary data gathering were: processing, analysis and barangay profile development; preparation for community validation; community validation; additional processing which included the results of community validations; analysis; and report writing. The PRE (population, resource, and environment) was adopted as analytical framework. Then, an analysis of the SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) derived from the PRE analysis preceded identification of the researchable areas and action needs of the communities. In the community validation, prior arrangements and schedules had to be carefully made in advance since it involved the general assembly of barangay residents. The following is a presentation of the status and trends of key coastal biological resources, and the patterns of use of various stakeholders, as well as the impact of the use patterns on the resources. A description of the researchable areas and action needs perceived by the communities and the researchers ends this presentation. The four barangays (Manla, Caluya, Punta Sulong, and Punta Miray) located in the western part of the first district of the province were estuarine barangays influenced by the Dioyo River; while the barangays of Danao and Panalsalan were part of the estuaries of Ducaling, Itusan, Inamucan and Langaran Rivers. Manla and Caluya had hilly physiographies with very narrow coastal plains, while the rest of the barangays were flat or nearly flat. All barangays had clay to sandy loam types of soil, except for Danao which had seaward areas of the sandy and clay (water logged) types. Punta Miray and Panalsalan had rocky coralline cliffs that extended towards the sea as fringing coral reefs. These two barangays had white sand beaches and chains of coralline islets called Cabgan Islands in Punta Miray and Baobaon Islands in Panalsalan. Manla, Caluya, Punta Sulong and Punta Miray, being part of Murcielagos Bay, were influenced by mixed tidal patterns; Danao and Panalsalan were mainly of the diurnal type. All barangays experienced a Type IV climate, and northeast (January to June) and southwest (July to December) monsoons. Air temperature in the areas ranged from 29ºC to 30ºC. Dominated by species of Family Rhizophoraceae and Family Avicenniaceae, the mangrove areas in the research sites ranged from 3 to 140 hectares, with Manla having the smallest area and Danao, the largest. These mangrove areas were mainly occupied by secondary growth with sparse primary growth remaining in Punta Sulong, Punta Miray, and Panalsalan. Danao was unique because a dense primary growth was still present. Eight to 15 species were observed with the biggest number found in Punta Sulong, Punta Miray, and Panalsalan. Dominance shifted from prop roots-bearing in Manla and Caluya to pneumatophore-bearing in Punta Miray, Danao and Panalsalan. Up to 12 species of shellfish, 12 species of birds, four species of reptiles, 10 species of plants and 12 species of fish associated with mangroves were identified. A range of 20% to 80% cover of seagrass was observed in the coastline and island fringing reefs in the areas studied. Dense seagrass beds of mixed Enhalus acoroides and Thalassia hemprichii were found in all barangays, but the largest terms of area was found in Punta Sulong. These beds were disturbed, as suggested by the dense epibionts on the leaf blades. Single species of T. hemprichii beds were found in Punta Miray, Danao and Panalsalan. The people identified siganids (Siganus fuscescens or danggit) as the dominant fish that utilized seagrass beds for feeding and shelter. Also found occurring in patches in the reef flats and amongst coral communities are various species of marine algae, but they are dominated by Sargassum spp. Another siganid (Siganus guttatus or kitong) was associated with the Sargassum spp. beds. Fifteen other algal species were observed including the coralline Halimeda sp. and Amphiroa sp. The status of coral communities ranged from poor to fair. Those in Manla, Caluya, and Punta Sulong were poor, except for the shoal (takot) shared by Manla and Caluya with coral communities that may have been considered fair. Other areas were poor to fair in status, but small patches in Punta Miray and Panalsalan were good and those in Danao were excellent. Corals found in the reefs of the latter three areas were mainly the tabulate and branching Acropora species. There were also 12 or more other branching, massive and solitary hard coral species, and three other species of soft corals. The major threats to coral communities were the dense crown-of-thorns sea star and suspended silt in overlying waters. Up to 142 kinds of fish belonging to 52 families were named by the local residents. People from Manla, Caluya, Punta Sulong, and Punta Miray, coastal communities that live along the Mucielagos Bay, had identified species of the Family Siganidae as the dominant fish in their coastal waters. Sixteen species of reef fishes were recorded, four of these were indicators of good health of the reefs. Small pelagic and large offshore pelagic species and demersal species were also mentioned by the people of Punta Miray, Danao, and Panalsalan. Unique to Danao was the bangus (Chanos chanos) fry collection in the Ducaling estuary. Up to 52 species of shellfishes were known to have been collected in areas with extensive reef flats - Punta Sulong, Punta Miray, Danao, and Panalsalan. In the terrestrial part of the communities, the coconut (Cocos nucifera) was the dominant terrestrial crop. Among the minor crops were bananas, corn, cassava, sweet potatoes, coffee, and cacao. Up to 29 kinds of fruit trees, 58 timber, 38 ornamental, and 54 medicinal plant species had been identified by the local people. An overview of the relationships between population, resources and environment underscores the compelling fact that is rendered all the more significant by the PRA: the pressures on the various sub-ecosystems of the coastal area had made extremely difficult natural regeneration to catch up with human demands. An examination of the character of various groups of stakeholders in the area revealed the relative weight of stakes that each group claimed on the coastal ecosystem and the pressure brought on the environment by the interplay of their activities: the fishers and shellfish gatherers who had to earn a living and used methods that may or may not be environment friendly; farmers who may have used inputs that prove destructive to soil and water, or compradors (middle persons) and traders who profited from the catch of fishers or harvest of farmers, while acting as their informal financiers; national government agencies that carried out policies or launched programs that may or may not be appropriate to the area; or local government units which, until recently, did not have devolved powers nor owned revenue for project development; and the women and children who took part in resource use for subsistence and for augmentation of household income, and others. For the past decades, in-migration and population increase had occurred; and through time, patterns in resource use and resource management had changed. Institutional (formal and informal) arrangements among stakeholders in the use of the resources had been arrived at. Many factors had interplayed and continued to exert pressure on the resource base. Some activities of these stakeholders served as examples of the heavy pressures exerted on the resources. Among these activities were: cutting of mangroves for fuelwood or for constructing the bungsod, a type of fishing gear; the burning of mangroves for big-time charcoal making; conversion of mangrove areas to fishpond areas; trampling of seagrass while gathering shellfish, use of destructive fishing methods and fishing gear, indiscriminate use of agrochemicals that pollute the coastal waters, implementation of inappropriate policies and irrelevant programs, inadequate knowledge of skills on biodiversity conservation; and many more, which all contributed to the destruction of several parts of the coastal ecosystem. But all is not lost. There is strength in the assertiveness of the people to rehabilitate the devastated sub-ecosystems, to restore lost species and to rebuild damaged structures. There is strength in the resolute position of some local government officials to set in place rational policies and implement programs that not only conserve biodiversity, but are also sensitive to the immediate needs of the people. There are still opportunities in the trainings and workshops that certain nongovernment units conducted to raise environmental awareness and enhancing skills in biodiversity conservation. Finally, local government units in the area were determined to discuss jurisdictional authority and arrive at inter-municipal agreements on the use and conservation of a common resource. The most generalized conclusion that can be formed is that in all six communities studied, there had been glaring testimonies on the different degrees of environmental degradation in many parts of the coastal subecosystems. On the other hand, the different subecosystems studied displayed various levels of preservation and rehabilitation in several parts. But since the dynamics involved in resource use and resource management change over time, a serious investigation of research gaps in areas identified by the people in these communities, as well as, by the research team should be done. These community concerns may be categorized into areas of research and areas of action. Cognizant of the integrated nature of the problematic situations occurring in the coastal communities and conscious of the relatedness of the issues that derive from the problems, some recommendations are also forwarded by the coastal ecosystem group. Many of the recommendation advanced by the researchers find congruence with those that had been identified by the communities themselves. It calls upon us to provide appropriate and timely response to the action needs and concerns of the people. Without doubt, all communities acknowledged the urgency of generating alternative sources of livelihood in order to ease the pressure on the resources. They also expressed the need to seek means of heightening the community level of awareness for biodiversity, and enhance skills in conservation and environmental regeneration. Among the researchable areas identified by the communities were the feasibility of establishing marine sanctuaries, of regenerating important but disappearing species and restoration of lost ones, both marine and terrestrial. Other areas suggested were related to marine algal research, biology of rare floral and faunal species, both terrestrial and marine, and disease research. Other suggestions were to conduct a study of site suitability of mangrove species for reforestation, diversified mariculture, contamination effects of mining effluents, status of agrochemical flushings to the waters. Yet, other areas identified pertained to land tenure, soil analysis and rehabilitation, water research, appropriate technology, use of crushed shell as add-on to animal feed, feasibility of fruit preservation, cold storage facilities, child and maternal health problems, and improving fishpond management. Even the study of the dynamics of the interaction across barangays, municipalities and sectors with regard to biodiversity conservation, research into the bun-og characteristics, salinity intrusion to rice paddies and an examination of the organizational development needs of community organizations toward institutionalizing efforts at biodiversity conservation had been recommended. The researchers' perspectives of the researchable areas, almost in totality, reiterated those concerns articulated by a good number of communities' constituents. Among these are:
Upon closer scrutiny, the concerns stated above, including those articulated by the communities, may fall under any of the categories of Methods and Knowledge and Policy. The coastal ecosystem group asserts these recommendations be implemented in an integrated manner. Finally, it is prudent to state here that this exercise had reaped accomplishments even beyond the stated objectives.
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