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ECOTOURISM DEVELOPMENT
In early 1998, WWF, the Sorsogon Provincial Tourism Council (SPTC) and other concerned individuals investigated the coastal waters of Donsol following the reports of large aggregation of whale sharks in the area. Initial results revealed that Donsol harbors one of the highest densities of whale sharks in the world. It also uncovered the potential to establish an ecotourism program that would benefit the local community of Donsol.
In the same year, however, a series of events happened which changed the direction of whale shark conservation in the Philippines. The news about the presence of the whale sharks in Donsol has reached the whale shark traders in Metro Manila. The high commercial value of whale shark meat, both in the international and local markets, has created sufficient incentive for fishers in Donsol and neighboring towns to engage in whale shark hunting and trade. The slaughter of 6 whale sharks, as publicized by the media, caught the attention of various groups which raised concern over the slaughter. As a result, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) issued the Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) 193 banning the killing and trading of whale sharks and manta rays through-out the Philippines. The LGU of Donsol also enacted a local ordinance declaring its municipal waters as whale shark sanctuary.
The publicity given to the whale sharks in Donsol has resulted in a fortuitous upshot. People who have heard of and/or watched the whale shark story on television became interested to see the animals. Thus, a new tourism attraction featuring whale shark watching/interaction emerged. As a precautionary measure, WWF-Philippines recommended policy guidelines adopted from the Whale Shark Interaction Management in Ningaloo Marine Park in Western Australia. But such was not sufficient because Donsol has no experience in tourism and there were no formal groups capable of overseeing and implementing the development. There was no tourism infrastructure in the municipality.
In an effort to secure the financial viability, environmental sustainability and social acceptability of ecotourism, WWF, together with the LGU and the Donsol Municipal Tourism Council (DMTC), implemented the Butanding Ecotourism Development Project. The following activities were undertaken after the inception of the project:
- Stakeholder analysis conducted on September 3-7, 1998 to identify the various offsite and onsite stakeholders and their interests in the Butanding ecotourism development project. Results of the analysis revealed that there was no conflict of interests with regard to whale shark conservation. It was followed by a stakeholders’ workshop to determine their importance, influence and relationships and appropriate type of participation;
- A series of workshops to develop the Donsol Ecotourism Management Plan. This plan will provide the biology and ecology of whale sharks, general information on whale sharks in Donsol and impacts of and opportunities for ecotourism;
- Training of selected members of the fishing villages to deliver highly-specialized ecotourism services. This has resulted in the organization of the BIOs Association. The BOA was also strengthened through capability-building activities; and,
- IEC materials produced to increase the awareness of the local community, visitors and the whole country on the status of whale sharks in the Philippines. A 10-minute video presentation was also produced to serve as briefing tool for visitors who would interact with the whale sharks.
Since then, tourism based on whale shark viewing has continued operating and its popularity has risen tremendously over the past years. In 2005, more than 7,000 registered tourists visited Donsol for a chance to swim with whale sharks. The 6-month season in that year contributed Php 35 million to the national economy.
