of the Verde Island Passage, Philippines - weADAPT

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climate change vulnerability assessment of the verde island passage, philippines Context analysis from the baseline as premise of the vulnerability assessment was first observed by the team: background on the sector, its importance, components/ aspects and trends related to climate change impacts on the marine resources that the people experience. As a basis to the assessment, profiles were laid down, no matter how preliminary, as a flexible and opportunistic approach to data gathering in view of institutional gaps. The vulnerability and resilience potentials of coastal communities were addressed next, followed by recommendations to management units. The novelty of climate change impacts in institutional mechanisms and in the public mind requires plans and policies to be scaled up beyond the normative and routine by being inter-linked and inter-agency driven in emphasizing the importance of human wellbeing along with marine biodiversity conservation. Climate change effects on and of the people in the vulnerability assessment process are illustrated in a framework creatively designed by the team (Fig. 42). Extreme changes in climate affect marine habitats and species which then impact upon the economic uses of the marine waters and coasts as well as the livelihood and health of communities. Changes in sea surface temperature (SST), accelerated sea level rise (ASLR), storminess and unexpected precipitation patterns have effects on the fisheries, tourism and foreshore development trends that will damage or destroy investments if there are no climate change adaptation actions early enough. Beyond understanding the effects of climate change on the socioeconomic conditions of communities dependent on marine resources, the vulnerability assessment also included the exacerbating anthropogenic factors that affect the marine environment, represented by the back flows of arrows. Rising sea levels inundate wetlands and other low-lying lands, erode beaches, intensify flooding, and increase the salinity of rivers, bays, and groundwater tables, but some of these effects may be compounded by adaptation activities such as measures that people take to protect private property from rising sea level that may have adverse effects on the environment and on public uses of fish ports, beaches and waterways. Foreshore development, for instance, can bring in increasing investments for physical infrastructure such as sea walls or reclaimed areas in the short term, but in the longer term, these structures and human activities can damage mangrove ecosystems, fragment habitats, damage nutrient flows or cause destructive algal blooms which can aggravate climate change effects. Vulnerability assessment is therefore essentially related to disaster risk reduction and management. More studies are needed to have appropriate guidelines for addressing adaptation. The vulnerability assessment exercise for Verde Island Passage is still exploratory but already significant for its methodological contributions. Fig. 42. Socioeconomic aspects in the vulnerability assessment of the Verde Island Passage. 50
chapter 2 • human well-being and climate change: methodology Summary: methodology for socioeconomic vulnerability assessment Fisheries Characterization of the fisheries sector in Verde Island Passage (VIP) was done through literature review and analysis of fisheries statistics from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS). Data from BAS was used to infer volume and value of production and number of fishers from three provinces in Verde Island Passage , namely: Batangas, Occidental Mindoro, and Oriental Mindoro. Finer scale data provided by technical reports allowed a more in-depth analysis for selected municipalities including: Mabini and Tingloy, for tuna fisheries (Soliman manuscript); Verde Island, Lubang, Looc and Paluan municipalities, for aquarium fishing (MAC and REEFcheck report); and Mabini, coral reef fisheries (MERF report). The compendium of PCAMRD on the impacts of El Niño on fisheries was compiled and used to supplement the literature review on increase in sea surface temperature. A “perceptual survey” with 41 respondents and key informant interviews were conducted in the municipalities of Mabini, Bauan, Calatagan, Lian and Batangas City in April-May 2009 to determine how a sample of fishers perceive climate change. In particular, the following manifestations of climate change were validated: changes in frequency, occurrence, and magnitude of typhoons; changes in frequency, occurrence, and intensity of rainfall; sea level rise. Tourism and foreshore development The profile of the tourism sector and foreshore development status and trends was generated from previous studies, accessed data from government agencies in the VIP, interviews and a field survey in April to June 2009. A climate change vulnerability assessment was conducted on July 22 to 24, 2009 participated in mostly by local government representatives from the coastal municipalities of the five provinces surrounding Verde Island Passage, namely Batangas, Mindoro Occidental, Mindoro Oriental, Marinduque, and Romblon. Resource persons from the natural and social sciences shared their initial assessments and frameworks for analysis on the potential impacts of climate change occurrences that are projected to occur. Climate change impacts include the following: increase in sea surface temperature, sea level rise, increased frequency and intensity of typhoons, changing rainfall patterns, and ocean acidification. Economic and social sectors that were assessed in terms of their vulnerability to such climate change occurrences include: fisheries, food safety and security, tourism and settlements/infrastructure in foreshore areas. The framework for assessing the vulnerability of foreshore areas was applied by some of the participants coming from municipalities with significant infrastructure development in their respective foreshore areas, i.e., Balayan-Batangas, Calatagan-Batangas, Bauan-Batangas, Nasugbu-Batangas, Puerto Galera-Mindoro Oriental, and Naujan-Mindoro Oriental. Appendix A contains the list of participants for the foreshore area workshop group. For the tourism sector, the framework for assessing the vulnerability was applied by some of the participants coming from municipalities with active tourism activities, i.e., Mabini-Batangas, Lian-Batangas, Tingloy-Batangas, Bauan-Batangas, Puerto Galera-Mindoro Oriental, and Calapan-Mindoro Oriental. Other municipalities with plans of increasing tourism in their areas also participated in the tourism workshop group. Workshop objectives were provided as follows: • Identify impacts of climate change in the physical, biological and socio-economic systems. • Describe responses of the biological/ecological and socio-economic systems. • Determine vulnerability of these systems. • Provide management recommendations to address climate change impacts. • Identify knowledge gaps, research priorities. Health, food safety, and demographic trends Accessed data from government agencies (National Statistical Board, National Statistics Office, Provincial/Municipal Planning and Development Offices of Batangas, Mindoro Oriental and Mindoro Occidental) were the sources for the demographic and health profile of the Passage, supplemented by information from the Batangas Provincial Disaster Coordinating Office. Key informant interviews and focus group discussions were conducted in the municipalities of Mabini, Bauan, Calatagan, Lian and Batangas City in April-May 2009 to reconstruct health and food safety observations and experiences over the past 5-10 years and the local people’s current knowledge on climate change. A climate change vulnerability assessment was conducted on July 22 to 24, 2009: • Identify the impacts of climate change on socio-economic systems and their resulting responses in the Verde Island Passage. • Determine other impacts (natural or anthropogenic) that further contribute to the vulnerability of these systems. • Provide recommendation for actions to address the impacts of climate change by increasing resilience, reducing vulnerability, increasing capacity for adaptation. • Identify policy and knowledge gaps and research priorities. 51
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Climate change vulnerability assess
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Preface The Verde Island Passage, i
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