This thesis examines pond aquaculture as a development strategy in the Philippines, with particular reference to its impact on the local environment and the livelihoods of local people. / A theoretical framework is provided by recent literature in development studies and human geography, which attempts to move away from an essentialist and ethnocentric development praxis, and towards a locally-based, participatory process of empowerment. From the perspective of such 'alternative' development ideas, orthodox strategies involving modernization, formalization of economic activities, and resource mobilization, can be reassessed. / The promotion of pond aquaculture--and the widespread mangrove deforestation associated with it--is shown to be a strategy endorsed and supported by national and international development agencies. What is often overlooked, however, is the local ecological and economic importance of mangrove ecosystems. This study examines the effects of mangrove removal and fishpond development on the entitlements of people in three coastal communities in the Philippines. Aquacultural development is shown to have detrimental effects on the integrity of the coastal ecosystem and the livelihoods of certain groups of local residents; a rich common property resource is converted into a privately-owned system of cultivation. While benefits accrue to those with access to the capital necessary for the construction of fishponds, the costs of development are borne largely by mangrove gatherers and artisanal fisherfolk, whose share of a diminishing resource base is steadily declining. For these marginal groups, aquaculture is shown to provide few compensating economic benefits. / The study supports, through concrete local evidence, the criticisms made of orthodox approaches to development, and the need to construct attitudes and strategies which are more attuned to local sustainability and equity.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.69616 |
| Date | January 1993 |
| Creators | Kelly, Philip F. (Philip Francis) |
| Contributors | Armstrong, Warwick (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Arts (Department of Geography.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001358219, proquestno: AAIMM91675, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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