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In the face of adversity, it takes courage to stand up and fight against what may seem impossible. Changing the norm has never been easy, and this is especially true for the BWPC, or the Boracay Women Producers Cooperative, where the majority of their members are women. Yet somehow, their actions, no, perhaps it is this organization itself, have become the catalysts to a brand new change in the island of Boracay, hailed as the gem of tourism in the Philippines.

Boracay Island is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country, boasting white sand beach resorts, natural diving spots and diverse activities, and many more. The Island is a veritable paradise for many tourists both outside and inside the country. Activities like swimming, diving, snorkeling, and more, this island is sure to keep tourists and visitors occupied for the duration of their stay, making it a perfect vacation spot for a huge number of people. And it is in this fact where Boracay finds itself in a predicament.

Perhaps it is because of unchecked greed or desire, the people had forgotten to take care of what had made them popular in the first place; through their negligence in maintaining the natural environment, the island developed problems that would end up harming the locals if not checked, especially in water and solid management. The unregulated discharge of water waste resulted in coliform outbreaks and has not been properly managed until now. Swathes of coastal forests, which have been cleared or cut down for tourism developmental purposes, are now in danger of disappearing completely, along with the many coastal faunas that rely on these trees to thrive, the ability to filter any unwanted particles that make the sea unsafe to swim. Not only that, but the disappearance of these mangrove forests will also make Boracay more prone to storm surges, and be even more affected by heavy waves from climate-induced tropical typhoons, as these trees act as a natural barrier between the land and the sea.

The extent of these problems had become so severe that Boracay had to undergo closure by the Duterte Administration back in 2018. This decision came as a shock to many, but for the people in Boracay, this decision was a godsend, as it allowed them to reevaluate their natural assets and to take stock on what should be kept, and what should be withdrawn. This is because Boracay Island is at risk from climate change, facing threats like the tropical and extratropical cyclones, increasing air and sea surface temperature, and changing rainfall patterns.

In the face of Climate Change

The Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emphasized that small island communities like Boracay are specifically at risk from climate change-related threats like sea-level rise, tropical and extra-tropical cyclones, increasing air and sea surface temperatures, and changing rainfall patterns (Nurse et al., 2014). Case in point, Boracay was one of the worst-hit islands by Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013, resulting in severe damage in vital infrastructures like the Tambisaan Port and several tourist spots.

The island’s current environmental situation could potentially aggravate the impact of natural disasters. As established in the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Framework of the Foundation for the Philippine Environment (FPE), environmental conservation should be a component of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures to reduce the risk of biodiversity to natural disasters.

A potential starting point for environmental conservation as a response to climate change is the restoration of the island’s coastal forests. Mangroves and beach forests have been proven to offer protection against surge-tide damage and shoreline erosion brought about by severe storms while, at the same time, safe-guarding water quality (FAO, 2010). Unfortunately, resort development and other infrastructure built along the coastlines, as well as the use of beach fronts for tourism and other human activities, have resulted in trade-off beach forest loss in Boracay. While local organizations like BWPC have been exerting efforts to plant mangroves, less attention has been given to beach forests primarily due to the lack of understanding and appreciation of its importance.

Through its commitment to the FPE Visayas Regional Environmental Agenda (VREA) Action Plan, the BWPC requested assistance to initiate the restoration of the beach forest through a conservation agreement approach.

This project aims to address, conserve, and provide solutions to the different environmental projects, caused by both the climate and the population, which accumulated over the years. It would be a long and arduous task, as Boracay’s environment is in severe need of help due to the years of abuse. The project’s goal is to first initiate the restoration of the Beach Forest Belt around Boracay as a way of reducing the impacts of climate change. The women will establish a 2-hectare beach forest area in Barangay Balabag to fulfill this goal. This will involve planting at least 1,250 native beach forest trees as identified by DENR-CENRO. The trees need to be certified by the local DENR office to ensure that the trees planted are not exotic species, which will cause more harm than good if they were considered by its local flora and fauna as a disturbance to the natural habitats.

Photos by: BWPC

Under the conservation agreement, the Foundation provided a budget for the enhancement of the organization’s organic garden as an income generating initiative to sustain its conservation efforts. This will be the incentive in which local environmental protectors would be enabled, empowered, and encouraged to further to grow and continuously protect the beach forests that the project has chosen, ensuring sustainability, and an economy that will protect and nurture the people living in Boracay. Intending to help restore the beach forest belt of Boracay, the project also intends to inform the locals on the importance of proper management of beach forests. This is the key factor in which the locals could be educated about the importance of conserving the beach forests, and how a damaged ecosystem could negatively impact the environment and as well as their economy through a series of domino effects.

Right now, the members have set up a greenhouse made with sustainable materials and recycled waste. Using the Foundation for the Philippine Environment’s grant, the BPWC was able to purchase beach forest seedlings, some gardening equipment like a container drum, water hose, and organic fertilizers, and have even engaged the local community to participate in this endeavor.

To this date, the BPWC have been fairly successful in implementing their plans. In their greenhouse, a delectable harvest of various herbs and vegetables is growing, healthy, nutritious, and delicious looking. And although locals have been cooperative with regards to the project, there is still a lot of work needed to be done to fully succeed in their goals.

Photos by: BWPC

The women of Boracay, saviors, heroes once untold, have now found acclaim even among its local leaders and have even received recognition from the National
Government agencies. They have now been tasked in supporting the conservation trade-off, and the behavioral change that they have nurtured in the community, for the benefit of the next generation.

The women involved in the project have done something important because their work right now could be used as a template or as an example even – to rehabilitate the damaged local ecosystems of other communities. The importance that this project would also convey nationwide, or perhaps even worldwide, is the awareness of the dangers and risks of climate change and how it affects a community as a whole. Nevertheless, even with all of these dangers and risks being faced by these small communities, it only takes one small determined group and the cooperation of its constituents to protect themselves.

The success of the project will not only bring Boracay its much-needed help in restoring its beach forests but would also give a domino effect towards the nation. It can also help influence other areas that are facing similar dangers and consequences. These would help them to do their clean-up drives, beach cleaning, restoration of their mangroves and beach forests and inform their communities about the importance that these resources hold with our daily lives. These would also help warn other areas, who are potential tourist hotspots, the dangers of letting human development take over the beach areas, and the potential damages it can cause. It can also emphasize the waste management and segregation of other areas, and can potentially make them focus on disposing of waste properly, potentially lowering their pollution, which in turn would help improve their environment’s state of wellbeing.

For more stories, please click this link to read the FPE 2020 Annual Report