MARIBOJOC. Visitors to Abatan River have expressed their admiration of the primal experience they got of the mangrove forest tour and the generally pristine nature of the river, but warned that a watershed and river bank management project is a must for tourism and environmental sustainability. A study made between 2008 to end of 2009 showed that the century-old Postan mangrove forest here has been a major draw in the nature tour operation of the Maribojoc Enterprise Team and Associates (META) in the area, but also revealed that this cannot be sustained if siltation and periodic flashfloods are not systematically monitored and prevented. Some 99.6% of both domestic and foreign guests have been “mesmerized and awed” by their experience of the “green silence” of the mangrove forest canopy that they compare to the Amazon River experience in Brazil, “minus the anaconda.”

However, based on the META experience, it is important to put in place an environmental program to sustain whatever livelihood or eco-tourism project in the area. “The uncontrolled use of forest resources in the watershed areas of Abatan River, climate change, and the lack of environmental awareness have been seen as the culprits in flashfloods in late 2008 and early 2009 that endangered lives and damaged livelihood sources of river basin communities,” the META said. “There is a need to closely monitor flashflood occurrences that could adversely affect not only the mainly farmer and fisher-folk population, but also the eco-tourism project of the five-town cluster of Cortes, Maribojoc, Antequera, Balilihan and Catigbian,” noted Procopio Resabal Jr., META Coordinator. He also stressed the need to hold periodic community awareness campaigns on solid and wastewater management along river communities, wildlife conservation, including mangrove reforestation in some areas. “ Based on our experience, we also see the need to provide safety or service support for guests who are on a nature tour along the Abatan River.”

Between June, 2008 and December, 2009, visitors to the facilities and services at the Abatan riverside represented 58% domestic tourists and 42% overseas or foreign tourists. “An average of 3.3 visitors used our services per week, but including those who visit our facilities and inquired, there was an average of 5 to 6 visitors per week,” the report disclosed. Germans topped the foreign guests with 17.5%, followed by Australians (10.6%), Fil-Americans (3.2) and the Japanese, French, Italians, Swedish, Swiss, Spanish, and recently, Koreans, Finnish and Americans. Most Filipino visitors came from Tagbilaran (25%), followed by those coming from Manila (18%), Maribojoc (15%), followed by those from neighboring Cebu, Dumaguete, and other parts of Bohol.

“Out of our experience, the META has drawn very valuable insights and lessons for the improvement of the next phase of operation,” the META Coordinator further said. “We have made use of our experience, including the data we gathered, to come up with a feasible package for investors called Nature Maribojov”.” “After some 18 months of operation in the Abatan River servicing some 450 visitors, 230 of whom availed of our nature tour, the META has not only encouraged eco-tourism activities in the area, but provided extra income to some 50 members of our organizational network,” META noted. META is an organization of entrepreneurs and product and service providers from Maribojoc town, Southwest of Bohol, formed in mid-2008 to facilitate nature tour along Abatan River, and to encourage sustainable livelihood activities in the communities around the site. In partnership with the Maribojoc LGU Livelihood Products Center, and upon the support and approval of the Municipal Mayor's Office, the MET jumpstarted in June, 2008, an eco-tourism project along Abatan River involving a nature tour, a café, wellness services and handicraft and art products.

Aside from linking entrepreneurs near and around the Abatan River communities in Maribojoc, META has now become a community development organization (CDO), which includes boatmen, food and product suppliers, service providers, out-of-school-youth, motorboat/raft operators, housekeepers, and fisher-folk. As recommendation, the META report said that its next phase will focus on providing a nature tour of mangrove and nipa forests along Abatan River using row boats (bancas), pumpboats and bamboo rafts, as well as continue to showcase handicrafts, art products, including organic farm products and materials, and to hold art workshops. It will consider a bigger watercraft to monitor the status of the river, to provide security support to visitors, and to serve as information and communication vehicle for community awareness on watershed management, solid waste management and wildlife conservation. Another target goal of the entrepreneurs' organization is to encourage the operation of eco-villages that can offer nature-trekking, bird-watching, camp sites, livelihood and craft demos, and organic food in nearby mountain villages, like barangays Toril, Busao, San Roque, Agahay and Cabawan.