Tourism, Industry and Protected Areas: Contested Coastal Livelihoods in Southern Luzon, Philippines

Abstract

Coastal environments in the Philippines are experiencing significant ecological and economic transformations, often driven by the juxtaposition of small scale fisheries with emerging strategies for globally‐ oriented development. This paper examines the transformation of two southern Luzon fishing villages in Mabini, Batangas due to the expansion of tourism‐driven marine conservation and industrial development, and assesses the resulting impacts on municipal fisherfolk livelihoods. The study argues that development policies and plans formulated at the national and regional scales are translated unevenly into local coastal environmental changes, which in turn influence how fisherfolk make a living. Mabini’s municipal fisherfolk, bear the most immediate impacts of ecological changes and resource‐use restrictions but respond using a variety of livelihood strategies and diversification to ensure survival.