Household-level adaptive capacity of fishing communities in Western Mindanao

Climate change has been affecting many coastal communities around the world. With the location of the Philippines in the tropics, the country is vulnerable to the impacts brought by this phenomenon affecting the safety, livelihood, and income distribution of the fishing communities in particular. Quantifying adaptive capacity to climate change is critical in reducing the vulnerability of these affected communities. This study was conducted to assess the adaptive capacity in the household level of the different social groups in the fishing communities of the Municipality of Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines. Using the interval-level scale generated from the eight indicators of adaptive capacity comprising human agency, capacity to change, occupational mobility, material assets, occupational multiplicity, social capital and infrastructure, and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), the data revealed differentiation between social groups. The result showed that fishers who are land tenants, members in fishing boats, large household sizes, fishers belonging in the age group of 29 to 36 years old, and fishers who finished High School are least prepared for the changes in climate. The findings of this study support previous findings of the adaptive capacity conducted around the world. These results highlight the most vulnerable sectors of society, which will help guide local policymakers to formulate environmental adaptation plans appropriate for the social groups in a fishing community.