Environmental Depletion in Tawi-Tawi, Philippines: A Case for Strong Governance and Community Education

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Date

2008

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Abstract

"Tawi-Tawi at the southernmost tip of the Philippines has been a place of refuge for families displaced by armed conflict in Sulu. Its peaceful conditions have encouraged permanent settlement of these internally displaced peoples, especially in the Bongao poblacion. Government institutions overseeing land use and settlement have however failed to regulate the manner of human settlement in the poblacion. This has resulted in urban land zoning problems and the encroachment of human dwellings on wildlife areas along the coast, along tidal pools and lagoons. Indiscriminate human settlement and human activities such as sand and coral quarrying, cyanide and dynamite fishing, fish corralling, mangrove cutting and neglectful waste disposal have caused considerable damage to the natural resources of the area. What is more worrisome is that environmental depletion is not receiving the serious attention it deserves, both from the provinces leadership figures as well as the community itself. Effective governance as well as civic engagement is needed in order to correct this environmental threat. Leaders need to realize the crucial role each small environment plays in the global web of life through retraining and consciousness raising. They also need technical support that will enable them to exercise stronger political will and engage the community in a participatory process that will address natural resource management issues. The community on the other hand needs re- education on civic responsibility, environment and natural resources management. They would also have to be provided with alternative livelihood opportunities so that they would cease to destroy the environment for the sake of income generation."

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governance and politics, environmental degradation, political behavior, IASC

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