TY - JOUR
T1 - Environmentalism, development, and participation on Palawan Island, Philippines
AU - Austin, Rebecca L.
AU - Eder, James F.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank the Fulbright Hays Foundation for funding parts of the research, and thank Gerti Mayo-Anda, John Galit, Ronald Asignacion, the Palawan Network of NGOs, Rita and Job Favila, Matthew S. Carroll, Lawrence Padilla, Boy Magallanes, and two anonymous reviewers for their comments on an earlier draft of the article.
PY - 2007
Y1 - 2007
N2 - On Palawan Island, Philippines, known for its high biodiversity and dynamic environmental movement, development, participation, and conservation have been enveloped by the twin discourses of environmentalism and sustainable development. This essay considers environmental policy on Palawan and several case studies of sustainable development projects that emphasize community-based resource management (CBRM). Recent critiques suggest that CBRM has not been successful because communities lack self-sufficiency and claims of "local participation" are merely rhetorical. We argue that analyses of CBRM should consider three aspects of Philippine environmentalism: whether rhetoric regarding resource management matches reality in the eyes of local residents; the overlapping roles of government and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); and multiplex relationships of NGOs with local communities. Our findings suggest that despite some difficulties, stronger NGO roles in CBRM have generally resulted in better environmental protection, and through relationships with NGOs, communities in the Philippines can indeed take action to serve their own best interests.
AB - On Palawan Island, Philippines, known for its high biodiversity and dynamic environmental movement, development, participation, and conservation have been enveloped by the twin discourses of environmentalism and sustainable development. This essay considers environmental policy on Palawan and several case studies of sustainable development projects that emphasize community-based resource management (CBRM). Recent critiques suggest that CBRM has not been successful because communities lack self-sufficiency and claims of "local participation" are merely rhetorical. We argue that analyses of CBRM should consider three aspects of Philippine environmentalism: whether rhetoric regarding resource management matches reality in the eyes of local residents; the overlapping roles of government and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); and multiplex relationships of NGOs with local communities. Our findings suggest that despite some difficulties, stronger NGO roles in CBRM have generally resulted in better environmental protection, and through relationships with NGOs, communities in the Philippines can indeed take action to serve their own best interests.
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U2 - 10.1080/08941920601161379
DO - 10.1080/08941920601161379
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:34250792306
SN - 0894-1920
VL - 20
SP - 363
EP - 371
JO - Society and Natural Resources
JF - Society and Natural Resources
IS - 4
ER -