Cesar2000-Economics of Coral Reefs.pdf

25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000
Figure 5. Population Growth in El Nido from 1918–1995.
too low. Thus the banning of logging in this area has
allowed for an explosive growth in tourism that appears
to be benefiting many families in El Nido whose wage
earners are employed.
C. Population growth and transient migration
Population growth has been exponential (figure 5). The
annual birth rate doubled from about 550 new babies in
1990 to over 1000 in 1995. An unknown percentage of the
population growth in El Nido is due to migration from
other areas of the Philippines. It is not possible to calculate
this fraction because it is obvious from inspection of
the mortality figures that few people bother to report
deaths to the government, whereas there is an incentive to
report births. The population figures do not take account
of transient migrant workers that may form a significant
portion of the total population at any one time.
The growth of the population at this rapid rate has
had a number of consequences on the environment. The
‘squatter’ population has grown rapidly and many small
huts have been built along the waterfront in El Nido
town. New dwellings have been built directly on the
beach, detracting from the stunning white sand beaches,
with towering karst cliffs in the background. Beach access
has been blocked in many areas where houses have
been built without any space in between. While the
resorts have invested in state of the art sewage treatment
systems, the town’s raw sewage flows in and out with the
tide, polluting the nearby beaches. While wet garbage is
recycled via pigs, solid wastes are dumped on the beach
and allowed to wash into the sea. A major challenge is
for El Nido is to gain control over their environmental
protection systems so that the increasing pollution does
not threaten the tourism value.
D. Improved transportation links
Transportation has improved somewhat over the tenyear
period. One potential major change was the construction
of a road in the early 1990s connecting El
Nido to points east and south. This non-surfaced road
allowed El Nido residents access to emergency medical
care and other government and business services not
available in the town. But it created the negative impact
of increased sedimentation around Bacuit Bay from road
cuts, and opened the way for transporting seafood and
other products to the capitol, Puerto Princessa, in the
south. These threats to the environment were reduced
when the road was washed out in a number of locations
after a series of storms, and it was not in service in 1996.
When this road is completed with a hard surface, it will
have a major impact on the marine environment in El
Nido, by speeding up the delivery of fresh fish to Puerto
Princessa.
Options for transport by ship were little changed over
the ten-year period and delivery time was about the
same — a one-day trip to Manila. The air transport
options were improved. The airport was extended and
gravelled, allowing slightly larger aircraft to land. This
economy of scale reduced the cost of a round trip flight
by $50 to about US$200. The options for cargo shipments
by air were also improved and rate reduced.
E. Increased market prices
and other external factors
Over the ten-year period, one of the most dramatic
changes was the increased market prices of seafood products.
Two of the most desirable fish species serve as
examples. Both iced grouper (lapu-lapu) and skip jack
(tanguige) increased from P5 to P65 per kilo over the
ten-year period. This increase is probably due to several
factors. A new ice plant provided a reliable ice supply in
El Nido. This in turn allowed the fish to be preserved
sufficiently for shipment. At the same time, the supply
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GREGOR HODGSON & JOHN A. DIXON: