Integrated Conservation and Development: Impacts on Households in a Philippine Park

Abstract

Protected area strategies increasingly incorporate local forest inhabitants and aim to alleviate poverty. Common approaches include top-down integrated conservation and development projects, and alternative approaches characterized by decentralization, local participation, and community-based forest management. In the Philippines, these three characteristics are cornerstones of the state’s conservation agenda. This research examines state-led conservation initiatives in the Northern Negros Natural Park, Philippines. By identifying key distinctions among households living inside the Park and linking these to program outcomes, this article identifies major design and implementation challenges for efforts seeking to link conservation and development. Results indicate that current approaches achieve an economic win for a select few larger landholding households near to roads, but environmental requirements are not met and stakeholder participation in management is not realized. Expanding current approaches to include all households would likely result in increased deforestation or reduce areas of potential regeneration. As such, alternative strategies require exploration.