27/09/2005 – Swimming with
whale sharks is contributing to the economy
of the Philippines. According to government
statistics, some 7,000 tourists travelled
to Donsol, some 500km southeast of the capital,
Manila, in 2005 to visit the “gentle giants”,
earning some PHP35 million (or US$623,000).
The revenues accrued in the Philippines,
however, are only a fraction of the whale
shark tourism earnings of Ningaloo Reef in
Australia and Gladden Spit Marine Reserves
in Belize. Ningaloo generated US$7.8 million
over a two-month period, while Belize profited
US$1.35 million in just six weeks.
The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the
world’s largest living fish, measuring up
to 14m and weighing in at 125 tons. Despite
its name and enormous size, the whale shark
is not a whale, but classified in a family
of its own — Rhincodontidae — with its closest
relatives being leopard sharks and nurse sharks.
“The influx of tourists increases every year
and this opens economic opportunities at the
grassroots levels,” said Ruel Pine, WWF-Philippines’
Community-based Ecotourism and Coastal Resource
Management Project Manager.
“Whale shark ecotourism has created 300 jobs
in the municipality related to tour services,
ranging from whale shark spotters to van drivers.
However, out of the revenue earned over the
six-month ecotourism season, Donsol’s local
economy only retained 20 per cent in terms
of shared benefits.”
A new WWF business plan development study
shows that the capacity of ecotourism to generate
income and employment for the local economy
in Donsol was significantly reduced as a result
of inadequate tourist facilities and other
infrastructure.
“The study will assist policy-makers and
implementers to improve the financing structure
that will ensure investment for coastal rehabilitation,
which in turn will enhance the value of ecotourism
and its management,” Pine said.
“The much-needed business plan will help prevent
economic leaks locally by identifying and
supporting more community-based enterprises.”
WWF-Philippines, together with the Philippines
Department of Tourism, is encouraging households
to join home-stay programmes, and is looking
into diversifying the local tourism portfolio.
WWF-Philippines is calling for an improvement
to the pricing structure when visiting whale
sharks so that generated income can go back
into conservation activities. Currently, the
local government invests little in marine
conservation. WWF is also working with local
fishing communities on a fisheries management
plan which will address such marine issues
as illegal fishing and the exploitation of
fishery resources — issues that could effect
the whale shark's habitat and overall future
in Donsol’s waters.
END NOTES:
• Whale sharks are found throughout tropical
waters and have been seen in many parts of
the Philippines, particularly in Donsol, some
500km southeast of the capital, Manila. Tourists
flock to Donsol between the months of January
and June, the time when the spotted giants
usually appear. Tourists are allowed to swim
with them as long as they follow strict rules,
keep their distance, and don't use scuba gear.
• The waters around Donsol are part of the
Sulu-Sulawesi Seas ecoregion, one of WWF's
Global 200 ecoregions — a science-based global
ranking of the world's most biologically outstanding
habitats and the regions on which WWF concentrates
its efforts.
