Communities Attracting Tourists Through Climate Resilience Initiatives

Leganes, Iloilo- Various communities in the Western Visayas region for years have been initiating various Climate Resilience mostly through a series of mangrove reforestation – and tourists are attracting them.

This has been one of the learnings made by several United Kingdom, Vietnam and the Indonesian Climate resilience champions during the National Blue Carbon Action Partnership (NBCAP) Learning Exchange Visit in Iloilo last February 25-26.The said project is in cooperation with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Zoological Society of London and the World Economic Forum among others.

According to the DENR-Western Visayas, this initiative is a cornerstone of the Department’s ongoing efforts to develop a national roadmap for blue carbon management. The learning exchange brings together experts and dignitaries from Indonesia, Vietnam, and the United Kingdom, all working on the principle that shared regional experiences can accelerate policy improvements and strengthen community-based conservation.

The group visited several tourism sites such as the National Museum, Molo Mansion including communities of Ajuy and Leganes in Iloilo and the Ibajay mangrove.

The communities said they started mangrove reforestation projects as they were affected by typhoon Frank (Fengshen) in 2008. The typhoon is considered the first super typhoon caused by climate change in the country.

The said typhoon causes record breaking flood, kills scores of the residents and damages properties and government infrastructures.
Because of this, the communities initiated mangrove reforestation which for decades have prevented them from absorbing the full force of super typhoons to include the historic typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in 2013.The mangrove reforestation has protected their communities from onslaught of strong waves and minimized flooding.

Because of this, the communities continue to widen their seas for mangrove reforestation and have reported an increase of livelihood opportunities while protecting the mangrove forest and reports of tourists coming to their sites.

The series of mangrove reforestation projects has been initiated through partnerships to various businesses, non-government organizations and from the DENR.

According to the Department of Tourism-Western Visayas, the region received some 5.9 million tourists in 2024.