Indigenous knowledge and ecotourism for sustainable livelihoods in Arakan, Cotabato, Philippines
Article Sidebar
Abstract Views: 184
File Views: 75
Main Article Content
Abstract
Abstract. Baguio Jr. RP, Kahar YH, Nacionales JM, Mantawil BA, Habibun JF, Ramos RMM, Matucan GM, Casis AP. 2026. Indigenous knowledge and ecotourism for sustainable livelihoods in Arakan, Cotabato, Philippines. Asian J Ethnobiol 9 (1): y090118. https://doi.org/10.13057/asianjethnobiol/y090118. This study examines how Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) support environmental conservation and sustainable livelihoods through ecotourism among the Manobo communities in Arakan, North Cotabato, Philippines. Using a convergent mixed-methods design, data were gathered through surveys, interviews, focus group discussions, and participant observation across three ecotourism areas: Matigol, Gambodes, and Aguas Falls. Within the sample of 60 respondents, more than half reported practicing rotational farming, sacred grove protection, and ritual-based water governance, describing these as supportive of soil fertility, biodiversity conservation, and freshwater sustainability. These knowledge-based land and resource practices remain primary livelihood sources, providing up to one-third of household income, while ecotourism activities add supplementary earnings through guiding, handicrafts, and cultural presentations. Community perceptions indicate strong recognition of ecotourism benefits, especially income opportunities and cultural preservation, cited by over 70% of respondents, though concerns persist regarding cultural commodification and ecological disturbances in sensitive areas. Correlation analysis also suggests that tourism growth is closely linked with increased household income but may heighten environmental pressure without proper safeguards. The study demonstrates that IKS provides crucial ecological and cultural assets for resilient livelihoods but requires institutional recognition, inclusive governance, and environmental safeguards to ensure that ecotourism reinforces, rather than undermines, both cultural identity and ecological integrity.
Article Details
Issue
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
References
Adhuri DS. 2013. Selling the sea, fishing for power: A study of conflict over marine tenure in Kei Islands, Eastern Indonesia. ANU Press, Camberra. https://doi.org/10.22459/SSFP.08.2013.
Bai L, Weng S. 2023. New perspective of cultural sustainability: Exploring tourism commodification and cultural layers. Sustainability 15 (13): 9880. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15139880.
Bennett NJ, Roth R, Klain SC, Chan K, Christie P, Clark DA, Cullman G, Curran D, Durbin TJ, Epstein G, Greenberg A, Nelson MP, Sandlos J, Stedman R, Teel TL, Thomas R, Veríssimo D, Wyborn C. 2016. Conservation social science: Understanding and integrating human dimensions to improve conservation. Biol Conserv 205: 93-108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2016.10.006.
Berkes F. 2018. Sacred Ecology (4th ed.). Routledge, New York. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315114644.
Beudels-Jamar RC, Mühlhauser C, Nijman V. 2016. Tourism, wildlife disturbance and habitat degradation in Tangkoko Nature Reserve, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Oryx 50 (4): 705-712.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605315000606.
Calderon MM, Pulhin JM, Inoue M. 2017. Indigenous peoples, forest governance, and sustainability: The case of sacred forests in Mindanao, Philippines. Intl J Biodivers Sci Ecosyst Serv Manag 13 (1): 232-245.
https://doi.org/10.1080/21513732.2017.1333994.
Camacho LD, Gevaña DT, Carandang AP, Camacho SC. 2015. Indigenous knowledge and practices for the sustainable management of Ifugao forests in Cordillera, Philippines. Intl J Biodivers Sci Ecosyst Serv Manag 12 (1-2): 5-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/21513732.2015.1124453.
Cole S. 2007. Beyond authenticity and commodification. Ann Tourism Res 34 (4): 943-960. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2007.05.004.
Creswell JW, Clark VLP. 2018. Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications, Thousand Oaks, California.
Dawson NM, Coolsaet B, Sterling EJ, Loveridge R, Gross-Camp ND, Wongbusarakum S, Sangha KK, Scherl LM, Phan HP, Zafra-Calvo N, Lavey WG, Byakagaba P, Idrobo CJ, Chenet A, Mansourian S, Rosado-May FJ. 2021. The role of Indigenous peoples and local communities in effective and equitable conservation. Ecol Soc 26 (3): 19. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-12625-260319.
Dressler W, Pulhin J, Amano M. 2016. Tokenistic participation and community-based forestry in Palawan, Philippines. Soc Nat Resour 29 (4): 450-466.
https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2015.1072765.
Folke C, Carpenter SR, Walker B, Scheffer M, Chapin T, Rockström J. 2010. Resilience thinking: Integrating resilience, adaptability and transformability. Ecol Soc 15 (4): 20. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-03610-150420.
Garnett ST, Burgess ND, Fa JE, Fernández-Llamazares A, Molnár Z, Robinson CJ, Watson JEM, Zander KK, Austin B, Brondizio ES, Collier NF, Duncan T, Ellis E, Geyle H, Jackson MV, Jonas H, Malmer P, McGowan B, Sivongxay A, Leiper I. 2018. A spatial overview of the global importance of indigenous lands for conservation. Natur Sustain 1: 369-374. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-018-0100-6.
Hill R, Çiğdem A, Wilfred VA et al.. 2020. Working with indigenous knowledge in sustainability science. Glob Environ Chang 64: 102116.
Lansing JS. 2006. Perfect Order: Recognizing Complexity in Bali. Princeton University Press, Princeton. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400845866.
Lasco RD, Espaldon MLO, Habito CMD. 2020. Indigenous peoples, climate change adaptation, and mitigation: Policy perspectives from the Philippines. Climat Dev 12 (3): 252-262.
https://doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2019.1602315.
Maffi L. 2005. Linguistic, cultural, and biological diversity. Ann Rev Anthropol 34: 599-617. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.anthro.34.081804.120437.
Myers R, Dressler W, Pulhin J. 2017. Customary land, industrial concessions, and the struggle for community authority in Kalimantan, Indonesia. Land Use Policy 63: 603-613. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.02.018.
Nguyen TD, Hoang HD, Nguyen TQ, Fumikazu U, Vo TPT, Nguyen CV. 2022. A multicriteria approach to assessing the sustainability of community-based ecotourism in Central Vietnam. APN Sci Bull 12 (1): 123-140. https://doi.org/10.30852/sb.2022.1938.
Njau A, Hakim A, Leksono AS, Setyowati E. 2019. Local wisdom practices of Dayak indigenous people in the management of Tana’ Ulen in the Kayan Mentarang National Park of Malinau Regency, North Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. Russ J Agric Soc-Econ Sci 7 (91): 156-167. https://doi.org/10.18551/rjoas.2019-07.16.
Novellino D, Dressler WH. 2010. The role of indigenous knowledge in upland farming systems of Palawan, Philippines. J Sustain Agric 34 (3): 321-343.
https://doi.org/10.1080/10440041003680273.
Painemilla KW, Rylands AB, Woofter A, Hughes C. 2010. Indigenous Peoples and Conservation: From Rights to Resource Management. Conservation Internasional, Arlington.
Reyes-García V, Fernández-Llamazares A, McElwee P, Molnáre Z, Öllerere K, Wilsong SJ, Brondizio E. 2019. Contributions of Indigenous knowledge to climate change adaptation. Natur Sustain 2: 657-662.
Sato T, Chabay I, Helgeson J. 2018. Transformations in Social-Ecological Systems: Studies In Co-creating Integrated Knowledge Toward Sustainable Futures. Springer. Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2327-0.
Scheyvens R, Biddulph R. 2018. Inclusive tourism development. Tour Geogr 20 (4): 589-609. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2017.1381985.
Sterling EJ, Filardi C, Toomey A et al. 2017. Biocultural approaches to well-being and sustainability indicators across scales. Natur Ecol Evol 349: 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-017-0349-6.
Thompson KL, Lantz T, Ban NC. 2020. A review of indigenous knowledge and participation in environmental monitoring. Ecol Soc 25 (2): 10. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-11503-250210.