‘Shifting Sand Frontiers’: An impact analysis focusing on disaster resilience of fisher communities after the Boskalis near shore dredging in Cavite Province

Abstract

In the Manila Bay the New Manila International Airport is being constructed having substantial impacts within and beyond the geographical location. This research focuses on the near shore dredging done at the coast of Cavite province, in the south of the Manila Bay. The goal of this research is to study how the Community Disaster Resilience of small fisherfolk communities living at that coast and fishing at the dredging site, is being affected by the near shore sand extraction. By using qualitative methods, such as semi-structured interviews and participant observation, this study shows what the impact of the dredging is on the daily lives of small fisherfolk. First, this research elaborates on the livelihoods in the small fisherfolk communities, that mainly depends on the income from fishing in the area surrounding the dredging site. This is followed by examining the different forms of impact, including the impact on Community Disaster Resilience. Both the physical impact of the removal of a natural buffer zone protecting the coast, and the environmental impact of habitat destruction have massive ramifications for the Community Disaster Resilience of small fisherfolk. Consequences such as coastal erosion, income loss and Increased storm surges turned a stable livelihood into an insecure existence. By researching this impact and the meaning of this impact to small fisherfolk, this research intends to reveal dynamics at play on our global Sand Frontiers.