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UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

SCHOOL OF URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING

Term Paper

Case Study on Community-Based Ecotourism Activities in Donsol, Sorsogon:

Seeing Ecotourism as a Conservation Tool Towards Sustainable Development

Submitted to:

Dr. Marideth Bravo

Professor

Submitted by:

Vinson P. Serrano

Plan 201A

October 2011

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Table of Contents

Title Page

Introduction 3

Background of the Study 5

Objectives of the Study 7

Ecotourism and Carrying Capacity: Definition 8

Donsol Tourism Activities 9

Establishment of Carrying Capacity 14

Donsol: Ecotourism as Conservation Tool

Towards Sustainable Development 16

Donsol Ecotourism and its Urban Development Implications:

Current Scenario and Recommendations 16

Bibliography 19

Appendices

Donsol Present and Future Development

Donsol Comprehensive Land Use Plan on Tourism

Table 1: Inventory on Tourists Sports/Attraction

General Base Map

Proposed General Land Use Map

Tourism Facilities Map

Communication Facilities Map

Transportation Facilities Map

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Introduction:

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.

It is bounded on the north by the municipality of Jovellar, Albay, on the northwest, by

the municipality of Pio Duran, Albay, on the south by the Burias Pass and on the east part by

the municipality of Pilar, Sorsogon.

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 creation of Donsol as Settlement, originated in the latter part of the 18th Century.

It was said that a group of refugees led by a certain Francisco Noradi, collectively called

“Miraya” in reference to residents near Mount Mayon near the Province of Albay, escaped

and settled to a place away from the furry of said Volcano during one of its destructive and

horrifying eruptions.

Donsol got its name from “donsol” or “dosol”, an indigenous local medicinal plant,

which grew abundantly in the settlement area. A more plausible version was about a

blacksmith in the place, famous for his skills and of his “donsolan” – a Bicol term for anvil or

iron stand upon which the blacksmith pounds and forges red-hot iron into tools or weapons.

Unfortunately, the name of said blacksmith was wire-corded in history. Eventually, people

called the whole settlement area as Donsolan.

In the early years of this settlement and during Spanish rule, Moros from Mindanao

who refused to acknowledge Spanish colonization, periodically marauded and invaded the

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coastline of Bicol. Thus, the inhabitants of Donsolan were constrained to abandon the place

and create a new settlement wherein the municipal government was established. The place is

now called Brgy. Banuang Gurang or Old Town while the former settlement area is now

called Brgy. Dancalan.

To defense the perennial Muslim invasion, the provincial government of Albay sent

coast guard patrol to Quipia River (now Donsol River) and to the Burias Pass and this hostile

situation improved. After security had been attained in the area, the seat of the municipal

government was transferred to a new place just across the river from Brgy. Dancalan. This

new place had opportunity for expansion being on a wider plain and now the present site of

the Poblacion area.

During year 1800, Donsolan became an independent municipality and possess legal

existence as one of the towns in the Province of Albay, with Don Mariano Adrian elected as

the first Gobernadorcillo. In the book “Ibalon” written by Don Mariano Adrian, the

government of Alcadia Mayor de Albay decreed however, Donsolan as an independent town

in year 1880.

It is of faith and religion, the existence of the municipal parish was proven by the

water wells within the church of Quipia. Furthermore, records show that the first baptism was

held on January 1890 with Father Monico Barrameda as Parish Priest. The Parish saint of that

is Senior San Jose and celebrated the town fiesta in his honor on the 19th of May every year.

During year 1894, Sorsogon was declared as a separate province. Along with this

declaration, Donsolan and Pilar were separated from Albay on October 17, 1894 and included

in the newly declared province in exchange for the towns of Rapu-Rapu and Manitto.

The name Donsol means “Mr.Sun”. Donsoleños however, never had any pagan

worship to the sun. It may be presumed that the mapmakers wanted the town to be likened to

the Sun. e.g. full of energy and accordingly, the Spaniards recorded and place as Donsol.

Through the years, the Municipality of Donsol basically remained as an Agricultural

Town. With the improvement however, of the vital transportation and other infrastructure

facilities, the municipality is gradually progressing socially and economically. Much to its

advantage is the now worldwide recognition of the municipality as one of the best place for

animal encounter. Tourism economy now significantly contributes to the development of the

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municipality. This is manifested by the regular infux of both domestic and foreign tourists all

eager to see and interact with the visiting whale sharks locally known as Butanding along the

coastal waters of the municipality particularly during Butanding Season.

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. 1

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. 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%. Fishing is the primary source of food and income. Noel Castro, a former

coastal barangay captain reports that, prior to the tourism boom, there had been few

development projects in his community; until recently and the common sources of drinking

water were water pumps and open wells.2

Background of the Study:

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. 3

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.

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

2 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. 3 Serrano, Vinson P. Aquatika: Whale Shark Exploration Center. University of Santo Tomas

Undergraduate Thesis. Espana,Manila. 03/2010.

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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

Despite numerous list of literature stating good ecotourism practices relating to the

whale shark watching activities, rampant killing of this migratory species have become

alarming thus resulting to passage of international laws for the protection of the whale sharks.

International conferences in Australia were also held in response to the disturbing situation of

threats to the migratory fishes.

During the International 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.

It is a multi-million dollar industry, and has huge potential for further sustainable

development. In Ningaloo, Australia alone, the estimated whale shark tourism revenues for a

two-month season in 2004 amounted to Aus$12 million (US$7.8 million). These facts are

according to the community-based ecotourism activities studies of the World Wide fund for

Nature.

In Belize, the estimated value of a six-week whale shark tourism window was US$3.7

million nationally, and US$1.35 million for the Gladden Spit Marine Reserve in 2002. Given

these figures, the value of one live whale shark was estimated at US$34,906 annually.

Assuming conservatively that the lifespan of a whale shark is 60 years, an individual could be

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worth over US$2 million in tourism value in its lifetime. So far, 106 individuals have been

photo-identified, and many of them roam the Belize Barrier Reef, returning yearly to feed.

However, as the protection of whale sharks are being propagated around the world, a

rampant situation of whale shark killings has become a threat to the growing ecotourism

industry in Donsol. As a response to this threatening situation, a project to set up a

management system was proposed in Donsol, with the municipal government, the Donsol

Municipal Tourism Council, and WWF-Philippines as proponents. In June 1998, the six-

month grant from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to implement the

Butanding Ecotourism Development Project was approved. Management planning,

establishment of the visitor management system and whale shark interaction protocols,

capacity-building for local guides for tour services, and the production of environmental

education materials for the nationwide campaign on whale shark protection were carried out.

Objectives of the Study:

The purpose of this case study is to assess the on-going activities and future plans of

development of Donsol, Sorsogon in line with their main ecotourism activity- the whale shark

interaction. This study aims to assess the positive and negative effects of ill-planned tourism

activities to the community development and on how to mitigate environment degradation in

response to climate change. Each assessment will be based on existing studies on the

ecotourism activities and on how each activity is directly related to the development of

Municipality of Donsol, Sorsogon. 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.

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Ecotourism and Carrying Capacity: Definition

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.

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.

Therefore, Ecotourism and sustainability defines minimizing negative environmental

and cultural impacts while maximizing positive economic impacts. Such a focus is a means to

the end of achieving sustainability. Tourism Sustainability is postulated to result from a

positive overall balance in environmental, experiential, sociocultural, and economic impacts 4

(“experiential impact” is used to describe the effect of visitors on each other and

“sociocultural impact” is used to describe the effect of visitors on local residents). Thus,

tourism activities that generate more positive net benefits would be more sustainable, in

general, than tourism activities that generate fewer positive net benefits. 5

The nature component is descriptive or positive in the sense that it simply describes

the activity location and associated consumer motivations. The sustainable component is

prescriptive or normative in the sense that it reflects what people want the activity to be. An

important point is that, as used here, sustainability incorporates environmental, experiential,

sociocultural, and economic dimensions.

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.6 It

aims to establish the limits of tourism development in a particular towards the general

concept of sustainability.

4 M.E.Wood. Ecotourism: Principles, Practices, and Policies.United Nations Environment Programme. UN Publication. 2002. 5 Lindberg, K. et.al. Ecotourism in the Asia-Pacific Region: Issues and Outlook. The International Ecotourism Society. 01/1998. 6 Halpenny,E. Marine Ecotourism: Impacts, International Guidelines, and Best Practices Case Studies. The International Ecotourism Society. Burlington VT. 2002.

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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: Tourism Programs and Activities

A. Peak Season7

Butanding Arribada Festival

To welcome the return of the Butandings, which usually come in droves during this

time of the year, and to officially signal the opening of another high adventure season of

Butanding Interaction, the Butanding Arribada Festival is held every first week of March in

Donsol town.

The peak Butanding Interaction season is March, April and May each year. This

means, it is again open season for eager visitors or tourists to go Whale Shark/Butanding

watching or, for the more intrepid and adventurous, who want to cavort with these biggest

fishes in the world up close, swimming with the awesome, but gentle Butandings of Donsol.

A long fluvial procession just at the mouth of the long and winding Donsol River

where a large pod of Butandings usually converge at this time of the year highlights the

festival.

Whale Shark Interaction

Whale shark interaction tours provide the local community with an important

livelihood and visitors the chance to enjoy the butanding in their natural habitats.

Arriving at Donsol, Sorsogon: Once in Donsol, proceed to the Donsol Tourism Office. If

you drove in your own vehicle, there is plenty of space to safely park your vehicle there. If

you took a public vehicle, make arrangements for your return trip to Legazpi. At the Tourism

Office, you will be required to register and attend a brief orientation session prior to heading

out to see the Whale Sharks. You will also be required to pay the fee for: boat rental and

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

08/31/2009.

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crew, registration, and snorkeling equipment rental (if needed). The maximum number of

registrants per boat is 7 people.

After Registration: After a brief orientation period on the rules and guidelines, you are

ready to head out to sea on a 12m (40ft) boat. Your group will be accompanied by a BIO

(Butanding Interaction Officer) who will serve as your guide while you're out in the water,

one spotter, on the look-out for the Butanding, and two crew members to man the boat.

Out in the Water: While there are no guarantees of being able to see the Whale Sharks, you

can count on it that if you are there in the right time and season, it can literally take only a

few minutes after leaving shore before you come across the first Butanding! Generally, you

do not need to be out in deep waters in order to interact with the Whale Sharks. Your BIO

will point them out and educate you on how to spot them, as well as provide additional

information you need to know during the experience. The BIO's are quite knowledgeable and

friendly, and are willing to answer your questions. When the BIO feels that the situation is

ideal, he will instruct the crew on the boat's approach to the whale shark, and take the lead in

getting you ready for the experience.

Seeing the Butanding for the first time is an extremely exciting experience. It is very

important to keep the safety procedures in mind, and always follow the lead and instructions

of your BIO.

Duration: The whole experience can last anywhere from 1-4 hours, depending on how long

you want to be out in the sea.

Season and Timing: Although Butandings are spotted year-round in the waters off

Sorsogon, the season starts around November and goes on through May. The peak season is

February through April. The best times to go are in the morning, as the waters are clearer and

it easier to spot the whale sharks. According to the locals, the whale sharks are also more

abundant before noon. On peak season, it is very common for each visitor to see more than a

dozen different Butandings.

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B. Off-Peak Season8

These are the months from July to December where few or seldom sightings of whale

sharks are seen. The rates of tourists that are visiting are of 5% of the usual tourist that drops

off to have a vacation in Donsol.

In these months, Donsol have some activities to offer like the Firefly Watching,

SCUBA Diving, Manta Ray Diving, and Snorkeling. Other tourist attraction sites may also be

visited during this season.

Firefly Watching

Firefly watching at Ogod or Donsol River is a visual and spiritual way to experience

nature. Hundreds of these nocturnal insects inhabit the two rivers and provide glow around

the mangrove-associated stands along the banks. Firefly watching is becoming an important

nature-based tourism activity in Donsol. Only three countries in Asia, including the

Philippines, offer this kind of firefly tour.

Manta Ray Diving

Dive around Tacdogan reef in Ticao Island, Masbate where cartilaginous fishes called

manta rays swim in abundance. The reef is about nine (9) hectares and shape like a saddle

with depth ranging from 45 feet to 90 feet deep.

The Grotto

The Grotto Chapel is situated in Barangay San Antonio, Donsol, Sorsogon. It was

built on 1976 by Mrs. Lydia Apuyan-Tagle as the fruit of her strong devotion to our Lady of

Lourdes. It stands on top of a hill overlooking the pathway of more or less three hundred

steps. It is often visited by town folks for public viewing and as pilgrimage site in adoration

to our Blessed Mother Mary. It could be reached by land fifteen minutes ride from Donsol

town proper. The feast day is celebrated every February 11th of the year.

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

08/31/2009.

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Catundulan

Catundulan is Donsol’s landmark where pinnacle of rocks and vast coral formations

are found. The water in this area is the deepest part of Donsol coastline where numerous

whale sharks could be seen. It is a mountain cliff about 100 meters tall, making it suitable for

mountain climbing and gliding. Below the cliff is a small cave from which one can see the

white sand beaches and the clear water of the Burias Pass. Tourists can enjoy scuba diving,

snorkeling, boating, swimming, leisure fishing and whale shark watching. It is 9 kilometers

away from the town proper with a traveling time of not more than 30 minutes. To get there,

one can hire a motorboat or take the passenger boat plying pobalcion-coastal barangays route.

Tuba Falls

The waterfall is about 15 meters high cascading down into a deep blue lagoon about

20 meters in diameter. It is complimented by two other smaller waterfalls and lagoons.

During summer, especially during Holy Week, residents from the neighboring barangays visit

the place to beat the summer heat and to search out for an amulet. The place is a semi-

forested area covered with coconut trees, big trees, ferns and vines. It is also a source of fish,

fresh water crabs and shells, shrimps or “gangawan”, lizards, and frogs or “kabakab’. To get

there, one has take a passenger motorboat to Barangay Vinisitahan or Sibago, and thence a

trail walk of at least 7 kilometers for two hours. No infrastructure facilities of whatsoever is

in the place. Local residents who wish to visit the place will have to construct a temporary

makeshift shelter for their stay.

The Astilleros Site

It is located at Barangay Dancalan, Donsol, Sorsogon, about 2.5 kilometers away

from the town proper. It is believed to be a shipyard way back in 1894 because of the giant

anchor discovered by the inhabitants of the said barangay. In 1896, Don Sabas Milleza,

popularly known as “Capitan Sabas”, an enterprising rich trader and industrialist from Iloilo,

established the shipyard. The enterprise was credited with the building of small galleons of

the Spanish inter-island trade and also two big galleons used in the Manila-Acapulco Trade.

Recently, a combined team from the National Museum and the Sorsogon Provincial Tourism

Council conducted archeological excavation on the site and found different cultural artifacts.

It was proposed that a cultural museum be erected in the Astillero Site.

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Tankulan Mangrove Ecopark

A manmade mangrove plantation which cultures different marine species such as

mollusks, crabs, etc.

C. Daily Activity9

When it’s peak season of the sighting of whale sharks, the usual activity is whale

hunting wherein they bring their snorkeling equipments and ride to the bangkas or commonly

known as bamboo boats which they navigate 2 kilometers off the shores of Burias Pass and

wait till a giant silhouette pass by under the boats. When they find the whale shark, tourist

splashes into the water and dive to the shallows where they can see clearly the gentle giants

of Donsol. The schedule of sightings of the whale shark starts off at 6:30am early morning to

3:00pm in the afternoon.

After the thrilling adventure from the whale shark, a good rest and relaxing treatment

from the hotel accommodations. Tourist will be served with specialty native foods and crave

to the luscious delicacies famous in Donsol. Starting from 6pm until daybreak, it is off to the

dark parts of Donsol for firefly atching is best to find at night. Be amazed with the beautiful

glowing firefly pack in swarms flying over the mangrove trees while they glow like

Christmas lights on the trees.

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

08/31/2009.

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Establishment of Carrying Capacity

Halpenny (2002) provided a set of criteria on how to estimate the carrying capacity of

a site and establish limits for environmental change is listed below:

Inventory environment including wildlife, geological and water resources, cultural

monuments, etc. and categorize (e.g. fragile/resilient; dry/waterlogged; habitat/non-habitat).

Maintain an inventory of all resources used and the potential impact that the planned uses

could potentially have. The resource should be defined in small units (e.g. a patch of rare

plants, a bird rookery, a temple).

Experts such as scientists and planners are important in determining what negative impacts

are possible and what it takes to mitigate those impacts.

Identify all cultural and natural resources appropriate for ecotourism use/visitation. Also

identify other ecotourism components (e.g. restaurants; mooring buoys). Note the location of

both ecological and tourism resources and consider this in planning/estimating ecotourists’

activities at the site (e.g. an ecotourist may snorkel at the coral reef and then walk through the

coastal dunes to eat lunch at the ecolodge’s restaurant).

Evaluate available water and power resources that the site can yield to determine the limit

of sustainable ecotourism use (e.g. quality and flow rate of underground water; hours of

direct sunlight; potential rainwater yield).

Identify the specific kinds and levels of use (e.g. daily hiking for groups of 15 visitors to

the same site, etc.)

Identify level of service proposed (e.g. will the operator provide a temporary camp vs. an

ecolodge).

Estimate the maximum number of visitors using the site at any one time.

Estimate effect of climatic conditions on different parts of the site and therefore on

sustainable numbers of visitors, use and impact (e.g. effect of recurrent high rainfall and cold

winds).

Evaluate the extent of buildings, landscaping and equipment – including extent and

impact of construction, infrastructure and waste.

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Based on the given criteria set by the guidelines on estimating the carrying capacity of

ecotourism facilities, here is the proponent’s list of status quo assessment that is against the

principles of ecotourism as a conservation tool towards sustainable development in the

municipality of Donsol, Sorsogon.

• 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

• Conversion of agricultural lands to tourism related use (commercial, support

industries such as souvenir manufacturing)

• 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 (such as open spaces, mitigation center)

• 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

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Donsol: Ecotourism as Conservation Tool Towards Sustainable Development

Donsol, Sorsogon has been into the Whale Shark Watching Activity for more than

thirteen years, and such industry brought Donsol into economic prosperity. It has resulted to

various alternative livelihood sources to the villagers and has produced various annual

activities and program for the entire municipality. 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.

The ability of the community stakeholders to respond to the needs of ecotourism, and

the support of the industry to aid the alarming situation of overfishing and environmental

degradation allowed the municipality to maintain good practices of ecotourism mainly

focusing on the whale shark watching activity. As regulation of the municipal tourism

activities, the villagers were able to directly and indirectly educate locals and tourists on how

to take care of the environment due to the very evident effects on economic prosperity for the

entire municipality. 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 and its Urban Development Implications: Current Scenario and

Recommendations

As Donsol moves forward to the growing ecotourism activities and replicating such

kind of model to other towns within the vicinity, a variety of concerns have to be addressed

brought by ill-planned development.

Donsol’s urban fabric has been observed to develop on the idea of linear

development- whereas growing industries have sprouted from the main transportation links

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within the municipality. It is through the proponent’s observation where developments have

occurred primarily on road networks as the municipality transformed from fifth to a third

class municipality within a single year of whale shark ecotourism activity. The boosts of

economic activities mainly concentrated on the Poblacion area were dispered along the

coastal baranggays of the municipality. The sudden occurrence of accommodation facilities

on a rapid growth of development seemed to be out of control due to poor legislative

measures. On the physical aspect, building regulations and standards on setbacks were not

strictly observed thus needing an institutional revamp on the particular issue.

The future developments pose a bigger responsibility on the further growing needs of

the municipality. Integration of added protective services may address the growing threat of

terrorism and crime incidence by opposing militant groups on the area. Though there are

insignificant cases of crime incidence in the area, it is better to address the situation on a

preventive approach.

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. The

site can be considered an artery since it is strategically located for easier access from Albay,

compared to the current location of the visitor center. Access coming from the sea is also

strategic since Roll-on Roll-off point from Visayas and Mindanao can be accessed through

the Central Nautical Highway. A proposed DPWH main highway connecting from the

southern tip of Albay to connect barangay Tinanogan is a good strategy to reduce the impacts

of overdevelopment in the Poblacion area. 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.

Physical development plays a vital role on the development of urban form within the

municipality. 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. The government intervention on those problems could

greatly affect on the sustainable development goals not just of the municipality but also of the

region at large.

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Propulsion of other tourism sites may be a good strategy since whale shark related

activities should be strictly monitored due to the ecological sensitivity of the site. 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. The predominant coconut

souvenir product selling and other authentic Bicol delicacies can also revive the culture of

Donsol to be manifested on its daily activities. As the Butanding Arribada Festival is held

annually, a better coordination between private and non-government organizations in

supporting projects and activities promoting ecotourism could revitalize educational

promotion of locals to tourists. A community interaction may be promoted on this scenario

resulting to a more cohesive social formation.

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. However, support

facilities are still needed to be realized in majority of the town areas. Water irrigation

facilities and improvement of sites and infrastructure is also one way of addressing the issue

of drastic conversion of the agricultural industry to tourism.

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. Given the climatic characteristics of a heavy rainfall predominantly hitting

the entire Bicol region, addressing such incident may mitigate negative and unprecedented

effects of natural calamities on the municipality.

19

Bibliography

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Sorsogon. http://www.wwf.org.ph/about.php?pg=wwd&sub1=00011. 07/17/2009. Serrano, Vinson P. Aquatika: Whale Shark Exploration Center. University of Santo Tomas Undergraduate Thesis. Espana,Manila. 03/2010.

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.

Halpenny,E. Marine Ecotourism: Impacts, International Guidelines, and Best Practices

Case Studies. The International Ecotourism Society. Burlington VT. 2002.

Donsol’s Tourist Attractions.

http://www.nscb.gov.ph/ru5/overview/profiles/donsol/tourism.htm. 08/31/2009.