Protected Areas’ Latent Functions and Social Consequences: A Case from Mount Hamiguitan, Philippines

Authors

Eva Natividad Mendoza, Central Mindanao UniversityFollow
Roy G. Ponce, Davao Oriental State College of Science and TechnologyFollow
Sheryl Mae A. Soria, Central Mindanao UniversityFollow
Victor B. Amoroso, Central Mindanao UniversityFollow

DOI

10.24259/fs.v4i2.10485

Abstract

While protected areas (PAs) are established primarily for biological diversity conservation and provision of ecological services, social dimensions comes into play. This paper extends the discourse on PAs’ impact to local communities by focusing on the latent functions and social consequences utilizing Robert Merton’s Functional Analysis. Based on in-depth interviews among community leaders and elders, and forest custodians around Mount Hamiguitan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is revealed that establishment of PAs entails varied consequences beyond what are being intended and manifested. While communities availed of some latent benefits from the declaration of the PA, they also have responses that limit the success of conservation initiatives. Hence, forest protection is a complex social and political process that demands more integrative response on community’s social, cultural, and political structures and dynamics.

Recommended Citation

Mendoza, Eva Natividad; Ponce, Roy G.; A. Soria, Sheryl Mae; and Amoroso, Victor B. (2020) "Protected Areas’ Latent Functions and Social Consequences: A Case from Mount Hamiguitan, Philippines," Forest and Society: Vol. 4: Iss. 2, Article 2.
DOI: 10.24259/fs.v4i2.10485
Available at: https://scholarhub.unhas.ac.id/fs/vol4/iss2/2

Pages

405-418

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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