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International Review of Education

, Volume 62, Issue 2, pp 161–185 | Cite as

Sustainable development of Philippine coastal resources: Subsidiarity in ethnoecology through inclusive participatory education

  • Joey Ayala
  • Pauline Bautista
  • Marivic Pajaro
  • Mark Raquino
  • Paul Watts
Original Paper
First Online:

Abstract

The Philippines is an archipelago of more than 7,100 islands, with a population of over 100 million people dependent upon marine resources which are characterised by a decline in both biodiversity and abundance. The resultant large sector of fisherfolk is generally impoverished with limited education, which makes coastal adult education and lifelong learning a national priority. This article considers the Filipino fisherfolk community as a culture to identify potential input strategies regarding education development for marine science concepts. In a study piloting cultural consensus theory applications with a well-established fisherfolk organisation, the authors focus on the lack of dialogue engaging Philippine fisherfolk with standards of international marine science, bioregional resource partitioning and reflexive in-country education development. Cross-cultural strategies considered in this paper include exploring paraprofessional approaches to adult education, accommodating several dialects/languages and drawing on international science concepts. While earlier adult education initiatives aimed at fisherfolk may have had limited success in part due to a lack of cultural context, this pilot study is innovative in that it applies an existing Filipino form of social artistry to fisherfolk identity, expression and communication. Siningbayan [Sining = art, bayan = nation or town], or art whose canvas is society evolved through the Philippine history of organic networking and participation. Results confirm that a structured ethnoecological research design combined with Siningbayan appear effective for identifying education and curriculum specifics both for the fisherfolk sector of Filipino society and for professional marine science; their common goal being improved resource management. The authors place particular emphasis on subsidiarity, considering how best to transfer information to individual fisherfolk and their communities, as well as exploring their scaled-up role in leadership, organisational and professional development.

Keywords

Artisanal fisherfolk Cultural consensus Ecocentric Adult education Bioregional marine science Subsidiarity Siningbayan 

Résumé

Développement durable des ressources côtières aux Philippines: subsidiarité en ethnoécologie à travers l’éducation inclusive et participative – La République des Philippines est constituée d’un archipel de plus de 7100 îles. Forte de plus de 100 millions d’habitants, sa population dépend des ressources marines, qui connaissent un déclin à la fois de la biodiversité et de l’abondance. L’important peuple marin du pays est globalement appauvri et peu instruit, ce qui explique que l’éducation des adultes et l’apprentissage tout au long de la vie dans les régions côtières sont devenus une priorité nationale. Les auteurs de cet article abordent la communauté des pêcheurs philippins en tant que culture, en vue d’en tirer d’éventuelles stratégies pour le développement de l’éducation sur les concepts des sciences marines. Lors d’une étude testant, avec le soutien d’une organisation de pêcheurs bien établie, des applications de la théorie du consensus culturel, les auteurs dénoncent le manque de dialogue pour familiariser les pêcheurs philippins avec les normes de la science marine internationale, le partage des ressources biorégionales et un développement réflectif de l’éducation à l’intérieur du pays. Les stratégies transculturelles envisagées dans cet article consistent à explorer les approches paraprofessionnelles de l’éducation des adultes, à tenir compte de plusieurs langues et dialectes, et à s’inspirer de concepts scientifiques internationaux. Alors que les initiatives antérieures d’éducation des adultes destinées aux pêcheurs ont rencontré un succès limité, dû en partie au manque de contexte culturel, cette étude pilote est innovante en ce qu’elle applique à l’identité, l’expression et la communication des pêcheurs une forme philippine d’art social. Siningbayan [Sining = art, bayan = nation ou ville], ou art dont la société est la toile, a évolué dans la tradition philippine des réseaux naturels et de la participation. Les résultats confirment que pour une étude ethnoécologique, une conception structurée associée au siningbayan se révèle efficace pour identifier les caractéristiques éducatives et curriculaires, tant pour le secteur halieutique de la société philippine que pour la science marine professionnelle, leur objectif commun étant une meilleure gestion des ressources. Les auteurs insistent particulièrement sur la subsidiarité, en étudiant les meilleurs moyens de transmettre l’information aux pêcheurs individuels et à leurs communautés, tout en explorant leur rôle renforcé dans le développement organisationnel, professionnel et de l’encadrement.

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Notes

Acknowledgements

The research was supported by two grants, one from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the other from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). The UNDP Grant is #0066185 for Empowering Citizens to Deepen Democracy, awarded to Bagong Lumad Artists Foundation Inc. through the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines. The USAID/NAS grant – Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research – is NAS Sub-Grant Award No. PGA-2000001992 Sponsor Grant Award Number: AID-OAA-A-11-0002, awarded to Marivic Pajaro and Paul Watts. In actualising this project we greatly appreciated eclectic inspiration from the laboratory group of Dr Douglas Medin at Northwestern University, Chicago, USA.

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht and UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning 2016

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Bagong Lumad Artists’ Foundation, Inc.Davao CityPhilippines
  2. 2.HARIBON Foundation for the Conservation of Natural ResourcesMetro ManilaPhilippines
  3. 3.DALUHAY – Daloy ng Buhay Inc.BalerPhilippines
  4. 4.Centre for International Sustainable Development LawMontrealCanada

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