Community-Based Ecotourism and Coastal Resources Management Project in Donsol, Sorsogon

Since 1998, WWF-Philippines has been assisting the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Donsol in conserving the whale sharks (Rhincodon Typus) and developing a community-based whaleshark ecotourism program for the municipality. The project supported the establishment of a community-based ecotourism program and participatory assessments as basis for coastal management. Since 2002, 8,088 visitors descended to Donsol earning the town PhP 4.2 million in registration fees, whale shark tours and other services. The direct monetary benefits are equitably shared among whale shark interaction officers, banca operators, LGU and tourism suppliers. Whale shark tourism is currently the number one tourist destination for Bicol Region and was awarded the Kalakbay Award for the best ecotourism destination in 2003. In 2004, TIME magazine cited Donsol as the best animal encounter destination in Asia.To protect the whale shark habitat, WWF-Philippines in cooperation with the LGUs will implement coastal resources management in 11 barangays and in the neighboring town of Pilar. The project gained more momentum when the newly elected mayor of Donsol renewed the enforcement campaign against illegal fishing. Satellite tagging and photo-identification efforts are currently being implemented to determine Whale shark migratory routes and to estimate the numbers that visit Donsol annually. The project is supported by USAID through WWF-US. The satellite tagging efforts are supported by WWF-Denmark.


To know more about the CRM and Eco-tourism component, please email rpine@wwf.org.ph or visit Ecotour Donsol. To know more about Whale shark satellite tagging and photo-identification, please email eaca@wwf.org.ph.