A term paper presented to Plan 201 class under Marideth Bravo,PhD. Basic correlation of Planning Theories and Practices

1. Case Study:
Community-Based
Ecotourism Activities
in Donsol, Sorsogon:
Seeing Ecotourism as a
Conservation Tool
Towards Sustainable Development
Serrano, Vinson P.
Plan 201A
University of the Philippines- Diliman
Personal photos of Vinson Serrano taken May 2010 School of Urban and Regional Planning

2. Donsol, Sorsogon
An Ecotourism Destination
Donsol is a coastal town with a total land area of 152.99 sq. km. and
is located at the northwestern part of the province of Sorsogon,
which occupies the southern terminus of the Bicol Peninsula.
Of the total land area, about 25.64 sq. km. comprises the built-up
urban area and 15.68 sq. km. is devoted to agricultural
purposes, and about 13.86 sq. km. is reserved for recreational and
tourism purposes. Some 5.33 sq. km. of undifferentiated
lands including waterways of are not fully developed.
Personal photos of Vinson Serrano taken May 2010

3. Donsol, Sorsogon
Google Earth Image taken May 2010

4. Municipality of Donsol, Sorsogon
Donsol, Sorsogon
It is geographically located about 12° 54' 26.896" north latitude and
123° 36' 28.867" east longitude.
It is 66 kilometers away from the City of Sorsogon and 51 kilometers
away from the City of Legazpi in the province of Albay
A provincial road connects Donsol to the municipality of Pilar while
provision for road network connecting Donsol to the two adjacent
municipalities of Jovellar and Pioduran has been considered and
Source: BSWM- Donsol CLUP included in the development plan of the municipality.

5. Donsol, Sorsogon
The settlement role of the municipality of Donsol under the Sorsogon
Provincial Physical Frameworks Plan, Year 1993- 2002 is that of a small
town. Its principal role therefore is as a Small Agri-Processing.
Sitting on the northwestern part of Sorsogon Province, Donsol marks
the provincial boundary on the northwest, adjoining the province of
Albay. Thetown has 51 barangays, 11 of which are
situated in the coastal areas of the municipality.
With a population of 39,995, population growth is relatively
high, at an annual rate of 3.23%, higher than the national
average of 2.36%.
Donsol Comprehensive Land Use Plan. Local Government Unit of Donsol,Sorsogon. 07/17/2009.
Community-Based Ecotourism and Coastal Resources Management Project in Donsol, Sorsogon.
http://www.wwf.org.ph/about.php?pg=wwd&sub1=00011. 07/17/2009.

6. In January 1998, the sudden discovery of whale sharks or Butanding
(Rhincodon Typus) along the shores of Donsol, Sorsogon in the Bicol
region have turned a once-quiet town from an ill-equipped
community into a potential ecotourism destination in the country.
Such discovery brought an influx of tourists and unprecedented
effects of the growing community development giving rise to several
community development problems. Moreover, the concept of
ecotourism is to be further established in the operations of the
municipal planning development as it aims to become an effective
tool for conservation towards sustainable development.
In a span of five years, Donsol, Sorsogon was transformed from a fifth class
municipality to third class due to the economic benefits and contribution of this activity.
to ecotourism activities.
, there is no other
Inspite of the occurrence of whale sharks in other parts of the world
place like Donsol, where the major school of whale sharks
is found at a particular time. Such sighting proved that the bodies of water in
Donsol are rich with the presence of phytoplanktons- microscopic species which are the main food
of these gentle giants. From then on, the continuous relationship of the whale sharks and the
shores of Donsol primarily gave more than enough opportunities to the locals and the neighboring
towns to economically sustain their everyday living as well as to divert their livelihood means of
fishing and farming to ecotourism activities.
Serrano, Vinson P. Aquatika: Whale Shark Exploration Center. University of Santo Tomas Undergraduate Thesis. Espana,Manila. 03/2010.
Community-Based Ecotourism and Coastal Resources Management Project in Donsol, Sorsogon.
http://www.wwf.org.ph/about.php?pg=wwd&sub1=00011. 07/17/2009.

7. Whale Shark Watching: Response to Threats
Whale Shark Conference in Perth,
Australia in May 2005
scientific experts and representatives from non-government organizations, inter-
governmental organizations, and the tourism industry from 23 countries
agreed that ecotourism, when appropriate, is the obvious
answer to reverse
the effects of extractive uses of this magnificent creature.
Whale shark ecotourism has flourished in many
parts of the world, including Mexico, Belize,
and the Seychelles, as a sustainable and
equitable community-based venture.
Community-Based Ecotourism and Coastal Resources Management Project in Donsol, Sorsogon.
http://www.wwf.org.ph/about.php?pg=wwd&sub1=00011. 07/17/2009.

8. Objectives of the Study
Assess the on-going activities and future
plans of development of Donsol,
Sorsogon in line with their main ecotourism
activity- the whale shark interaction.
Furthermore, it is aimed to assess impacts of
development on the locality and how
ecotourism is aimed to become a tool for
conservation towards sustainable
development.
Its objective is to look on the aspect of sustainable development that
environmental, experiential,
will incorporate
sociocultural, and economic dimensions of
every step of development in the municipality.

9. Definition : Ecotourism and Carrying Capacity
According to The Australian National Ecotourism,
Ecotourism is defined as nature-based tourism that
involves education and interpretation of the natural
environment and is managed to be ecologically
sustainable.
On the other hand, The International Ecotourism Society defines
Ecotourism as responsible travel to natural areas
that conserves the environment and improves the
welfare of local people.
carrying capacity is a measure of the amount of
According to Halpenny (2002),
human activity that a site can biophysically sustain without severely
changing its ecology. It aims to establish the limits of tourism development in a particular
towards the general concept of sustainability.
Halpenny,E. Marine Ecotourism: Impacts, International Guidelines, and Best Practices Case Studies. The International Ecotourism Society. Burlington VT. 2002.
M.E.Wood. Ecotourism: Principles, Practices, and Policies.United Nations Environment Programme. UN Publication. 2002.
Lindberg, K. et.al. Ecotourism in the Asia-Pacific Region: Issues and Outlook. The International Ecotourism Society. 01/1998.

10. Donsol : Tourism Activities
To assess the ecotourism activities of Donsol, Sorsogon and its
implications on urban development, provided below is the list of
annual activities of the municipality.
A. Peak Season B. Off-Peak Season
Butanding Arribada Festival Firefly Watching
Whale Shark Interaction Manta Ray Diving
The Grotto
Catundulan
C. Daily Activity
Tuba Falls
The Astilleros Site
Snorkeling
Tankulan Mangrove Ecopark
Boating
Scuba Diving
Donsol’s Tourist Attractions. http://www.nscb.gov.ph/ru5/overview/profiles/donsol/tourism.htm. 08/31/2009.

11. Donsol: Establishment of Carrying Capacity
•Inventory environment
•Maintain an inventory of all resources
•Experts Evaluation
•Identify all cultural and natural resources
•Evaluate available water and power resources
•Identify the specific kinds and levels of use
•Identify level of service proposed
•Estimate the maximum number of estimate effect of climatic
conditions
•Evaluate the extent of buildings, landscaping and equipment
Halpenny,E. Marine Ecotourism: Impacts, International Guidelines, and Best Practices Case Studies. The International Ecotourism Society. Burlington VT. 2002.
M.E.Wood. Ecotourism: Principles, Practices, and Policies.United Nations Environment Programme. UN Publication. 2002.
Lindberg, K. et.al. Ecotourism in the Asia-Pacific Region: Issues and Outlook. The International Ecotourism Society. 01/1998.

12. • Conversion of agricultural
lands to tourism related use
• Sporadic development on
road networks brought by
linear development
• Receding coastline resulted
by climate change and
human intervention
• Poor waste management on
coastal barangays
Sieve Map Analysis
• No provision of disaster risk
Municipality of Donsol, Sorsogon
related facilties
• Urban fabric with no distinct
point affecting site
permeability and legibility
• Less provision of communal
spaces and facilities such as
parks and public recreation
center
Base, General Land Use, Tourism and Transportation Facilities Map
Source: BSWM- Donsol CLUP

13. • Rapid development of
accommodation facilities (of
various levels) along coastal
barangays with improper
provisions on setbacks
• Poor infrastructure
development (roads and
bridges)
• High density of human
settlements in the Poblacion
Area
Sieve Map Analysis
•
Municipality of Donsol, Sorsogon
Poor sanitation and waste
management
• Lack of protective services
facilities thus pose threat of
terrorism
• Docking facilities with no
provision of regulation and
waste disposal contributes to
the environmental degradation
Base, General Land Use, Tourism and Transportation Facilities Map
Source: BSWM- Donsol CLUP

14. Tourism Facilities Map
Municipality of Donsol, Sorsogon
Source: BSWM- Donsol CLUP

15. Transportation Facilities Map
Municipality of Donsol, Sorsogon
Source: BSWM- Donsol CLUP

16. Donsol: Ecotourism as Conservation Tool Towards
Sustainable Development
In view of ecotourism as a conservation tool towards sustainable
development, Donsol community stakeholders
played a vital role in the development of
ecotourism activities and on furthering
tourism value of the site through educational
infiltration. Based on their set of annual activities, Donsol has a
rotational operation to sustain the tourism sector that resulted to
drastic positive effects on economic, social, institutional and
environmental aspects.

17. Proposed General Land Use Map
Municipality of Donsol, Sorsogon
Source: BSWM- Donsol CLUP

18. Donsol: Ecotourism as Conservation Tool Towards
Sustainable Development
The good transition of responsibilities- from
accommodation, small-medium industries
supporting tourism, and other interconnected
industries have harmoniously organized a
circumventing proportionality of symbiosis- that each
and every industry supports one another and reduce the negative impacts
of overlapping activity. Thus, this has made Donsol as a good model of
ecotourism center in the Philippines, if not in the global perspective.

19. Donsol Ecotourism : Urban
Development Implications:
Current Scenario and Recommendations
Donsol’s urban fabric
has been observed to develop on the idea of linear development
On the physical aspect, building
regulations and
standards on setbacks were not strictly observed
thus needing an institutional revamp on the particular issue.
Integration of added protective services may address
the growing threat of terrorism and crime incidence by opposing militant
groups on the area.

20. Donsol Ecotourism : Urban
Development Implications:
Current Scenario and Recommendations
As site permeability is concerned- the ability of people to access
the municipality in respect to proper urban form legibility, there are only
only two ways to access the current location of the visitor center from
inland towns and cities- either by water or land access.
In line with this, the proponent’s recommendation regarding the location of
the visitor center should be relocated due to the
overlapping developments on the Poblacion area.
This has resulted to various problems of transporation, security, health and
sanitation, and posses a bigger threat on environmental degradation.
Environment support facilities should be integrated on coast lines that will
be strengthened through policies or guidelines on accommodation
facilities. A provision of a central utilities system may
also be provided, to secure environmental protection on the sensitive
typology of the municipality.

21. Donsol Ecotourism : Urban
Development Implications:
Current Scenario and Recommendations
Other tourism spots and attractions shown on the Municipal
Tourism Map should be explored and be strengthened to
redirect human settlements from rising within the barangay boundaries of
Poblacion area.
Development of open parks and spaces within the
municipality could open up opportunities for the small scale to medium
scale industries.

22. Donsol Ecotourism : Urban
Development Implications:
Current Scenario and Recommendations
Disaster Risk Management Plan to prepare the
municipality in times of unwanted events that should be envisioned to
maintain good support on the tourism and livelihood of the municipality.
As the municipality is still predominant of agricultural lands, the
maximization of brownfield development should be
taken into consideration so as to secure food security and mainstream
income for Donsol in case of the absence of tourism influx.

23. FIN