Philippine E-Journals

Development of Community Based Ecotourism Index in Pamitinan Protected Landscape in Rodriguez, Rizal

Hazel S. Castillo | Alex Danice Francia | Hannah Angele A. Hernandez

 

Abstract:

The study focused on the development of a community-based Ecotourism Index in Pamitinan Protected Landscape located at Wawa, Rodriguez, Rizal. The objectives of the study were to describe the Pamitinan Protected Landscape, characterize the tenured migrants in the Pamitinan Protected Landscape, describe the implementation of community-based ecotourism in Pamitinan Protected Landscape, identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and develop the community-based Ecotourism Index. Research methods included a survey among 102 tenured migrants, key informant interview, and focus group discussion. They were analyzed through descriptive statistics, SWOT Analysis, AHP, and development of CBET Index. Findings revealed that the land in PPL has an elevation of 100-200 meters above sea level (masl), which accounts to almost 40 percent of the total land area. There are six types of land cover in PPL such as shrubs, wooded grassland, open/barren, grassland, built-up, and inland water. There are 19 species of birds and 13 species of mammals found throughout the year in the area. Overall, a total of 30 plant species can be found in the area. The primary strength of CBET is the community’s awareness on the need to actively participate in protecting and improving the Paminitan Protected Landscape as it will be more beneficial in the long run. In contrast, the primary weaknesses include the lack of knowledge, information, education, and communication (IEC) programs. After having considered the weighting process and ensuring the quality of the data values, the researchers determined the condition of the community ecotourism in Pamitinan Protected Landscape through an index. The results of CBET Index in Pamitinan Protected Landscape revealed that the tourism activities obtained the lowest rating among all dimensions, implying the need to offer different tourism activities in the area. On the other hand, community participation obtained the highest value. This shows that the DENR, the Barangay, LGUs, and the stakeholders most especially the community positively regard one another’s participation, making the strict implementation of CBET in Pamitinan Protected Landscape highly possible. Using the formula applied in getting the CBETi, the result interpretation was above average. DENR, Barangay, and LGUs had a good index result in their site as the fruit of DENR’s perseverance to implement the CBET. The hands-on monitoring of DENR PASu together with the efforts of the Barangay Captain contributed to this success.