Paper short abstract:

This study explores how urban expansion and resource extraction impact local ecological knowledge (LEK) among fisherfolk on Talim Island in Laguna de Bay, Philippines. Utilizing participatory rural appraisal, this study advocates for integrating LEK into policies for sustainable resource governance.

Paper long abstract:

Laguna de Bay, the Philippines’ largest freshwater lake, is undergoing significant socio-ecological transformations driven by metabolic flows from Metro Manila, the country’s capital region. This phenomenon positions the lake as an urbanizing frontier serving as a crucial resource to the capital’s city-making. Urban demands influence rural livelihoods, ecological systems, and resource governance contributing to the degradation of the lake ecosystem. Among those affected are the fisherfolk who depend on the lake for their livelihood, but possess local ecological knowledge (LEK) that offers practical, time-tested solutions that sustain the lake environment. However, there is a significant gap in understanding how the lake’s transformation due to frontier-making reshapes knowledge systems like fisherfolk’s LEK.

Hence, this study examines the impact of unsustainable resource extraction driven by Laguna de Bay’s role as an urban frontier on the LEK of fisherfolk communities on Talim Island, the largest island within the lake situated in the municipality of Cardona, Rizal. Employing a qualitative approach, this study utilizes participatory rural appraisal (PRA) techniques, such as resource mapping, seasonal calendaring, and trend analysis, to collaboratively weave dynamic grassroots narratives of LEK. This is toward mainstreaming how these communities leverage their knowledge systems as a tool for adaptation and resistance against metabolic rifts created by the lake’s frontier-making. Integrating these into national and local policy structures recognizes the intrinsic value of fisherfolk LEK, thus complementing scientific approaches to Laguna de Bay’s conservation and management. This is to strengthen rural livelihood resilience, inform equitable resource governance, and foster ecological justice.