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Philippines: Coastal community cited as best place to observe whale sharks |
| January 23, 2005 |
 | | The success of the whale shark ecotourism program in Donsol, Philippines is a testimony to the importance of involving many stakeholders within the coastal community. |
Time Magazine has identified the World Wildlife Fund-supported whale shark interaction programme in the Philippines’ Donsol River as the “Best Place for an Animal Encounter”.
Donsol is known as the whale shark capital of the world because of the high number of whale sharks, locally known as butanding, found in its municipal waters. For decades, whale sharks have migrated to the mouth of the Donsol to feed on plankton.
“These filter feeders are attracted by the abundance of zooplanktons, small fishes, squids, and crustaceans in the waters of Donsol,” said Ruel Pine, WWF-Philippines’ Community-based Ecotourism and Coastal Resource Management Project Manager.
“Based on tour boat trips made in 2004, one can sight as many as 30 whale sharks a day.”
The international magazine also recognized the Sulu-Sulawesi Seas — the waters around Donsol — for its high degree of biodiversity and WWF’s objective in enhancing the value of ecotourism through its work on coastal resource management.
WWF-Philippines, together with Donsol's local government, local police, women groups, and fishing communities, set up the Task Force Sagip Kalikasan (TFSK), which regularly monitors the municipal waters, particularly against illegal pangulong or purse seine fishing — fishing by industrial nets that encircle schools of fish at one time.
“The whale shark ecotourism programme is a testimony to the importance of a successful multi-stakeholder involvement,” Pine said.
According to WWF, at least five commercial fishing boats are found in Donsol's municipal waters each night engaged in pangulong fishing, despite a Philippine law prohibiting commercial fishing boats from operating in municipal waters and other fishery management areas.
“The TFSK is now gaining momentum in terms of capacity building and popular support, especially from coastal communities,” Pine noted. “We hope that we can find additional resources to sustain its long-term operations.”
The project is programmed to extend counterpart support on marine protection and conservation, including coastal law enforcement until 2008.
Reproduced with permission from WWF. ©2005 WWF-- World Wide Fund For Nature (Formerly World Wildlife Fund). All rights reserved.
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