Socio-Economic Condition, Challenges, and Problems Encountered by Fisherfolks in Marine Biodiversity Conservation and Protection in Pilar, Capiz

Abstract

The diversity and quantity of organisms found in the world’s oceans and seas is referred to as marine biodiversity. The abundance of life in the seas is huge since the earth was shielded by water to a degree of about 70%. Because people still rely on the resources of the Earth for their livelihood, health, and well-being, it is crucial to preserve marine biodiversity. Marine biodiversity is prized for its inherent value, ecological services it offers, and direct benefits to humans. The following goals guided the conduct of this study was to assess the socioeconomic standing of fisher folks of Pilar, Capiz, identify the difficulties that fisher folks encounter and, to identify the issues that fisher folks in Pilar Bay face when it comes to the preservation and conservation of biodiversity. Three hundred two (302) fisher folks participated in the researchers’ mixed-method study, which was conducted in seven coastal barangays of Pilar. A stratified sampling strategy was used to choose them. The tool used to get information from the respondents was a questionnaire. The findings were presented descriptively using the calculated frequency counts (f) and relative frequency or percentages (%). To ascertain the difficulties and issues respondents faced with biodiversity conservation and protection, the average age-weighted value or weighted mean was employed. According to the study’s findings, the majority of respondents were married men between the ages of 31 and 40 who had completed secondary school, had one to three family members, and made between Php 5001 and Php 7000 per month. The majority of respondents obtained their funds from lending individuals and institutions, lived in wooden-type homes, and fished in the deep open sea region for 6 to 9 hours every day using trawls as their fishing gear. They also used motorized boats that caught 30-41 kg of fish per day, representing roughly 16 different species. The respondents concurred that they are dealing with cultural, environmental, and economic difficulties. In addition to agreeing on environmental issues, the respondents firmly agreed that they have experienced human issues and governance with the conservation and protection of maritime biodiversity.