Ecosystem resilience and community values: Implications to ecosystem-based adaptation

In recent years, the case for ecosystem approaches in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation is strongly argued because losses can be reduced and safer and resilient communities built by ensuring resource sustainability and enhancing ecosystem resilience. Recognizing the interdependencies of ecological, physical, economic, social and institutional actors and that community-level perception can shape adaptation actions, a study is conducted through surveys of village councils and households in Infanta, Quezon, Philippines. Utilizing a questionnaire covering 5 dimensions, 25 parameters and 125 measures selected based on the local context of Infanta, the level of resilience in mountain, riverine, urban, agricultural plain, estuarine and coastal ecosystems is determined. In addition, a survey on community values for ecosystem services as well as autonomous and recommended adaptation actions is done. Results show that overall resilience levels of ecosystems lie between 3.08 (medium resilience) and 3.26 (high resilience) on a scale of 1 to 5. The coastal ecosystem demonstrates the highest resilience while the mountain ecosystem shows the lowest resilience. Moreover, the community gives high value to the floodplain and ocean as natural assets and the forest and coastal ecosystems for their provisioning, regulating and cultural services. Lastly, autonomous daptation actions are primarily ecological, economic and social in nature. By assessing the resilience of ecosystems and mapping of community values and actions as attempted in this study, entry points for an ecosystem-based adaptation strategy are identified while addressing positive and negative factors as well as gaps and opportunities to enhance the resilience of Infanta's ecosystems.