Social complexity, ethnography and coastal resource management in the Philippines

Abstract

Research on coastal resource management (CRM) in the Philippines has been undertaken from multiple disciplinary perspectives, and has argued for continued consideration of local-level social contexts and conditions. In this article we argue that social complexity within coastal communities is deserving of greater attention by practitioners and analysts of CRM. Using ethnographic methods based on long-term anthropological fieldwork in three different locations of the Philippines, we demonstrate how various aspects of social complexity have significant implications for the outcomes of CRM. Three case studies are presented that focus on illegal fishing in Palawan, the question of participation in CRM projects in Negros Oriental, and marine protected areas (MPAs) in Cebu. By highlighting social complexity, we demonstrate how the planning, implementation, and impacts of CRM have different effects for different groups of people. It is argued that greater attention to social complexity through the use of ethnographic fieldwork can both highlight the local social processes that frequently shape and influence the outcomes of CRM, and point toward more sociallyentation, and impacts of CRM have different effects for different groups of people. It is argued that greater attention to social complexity through the use of ethnographic fieldwork can both highlight the local social processes that frequently shape and influence the outcomes of CRM, and point toward more socially inclusive and sustainable modes of CRM.