Too Much or Too Little Water: Adaptation Pathways of Agusan Marsh Communities

Abstract

The study was undertaken to explore what measures the communities need to undertake to reduce their vulnerabilities and increase their capacities in the face of changing climate regimes. Focus was on the adaptive pathways of the Agusan marsh communities, particularly populated with indigenous peoples. In the face of critical water needs in the marshlands and the local context, emerging long-term adaptive strategies of the communities include (1) developing appropriate infrastructures for resource provisioning that can withstand the seasonal fluctuations and changing climate regimes in the region, and (2) developing a garbage disposal or sanitation system that is appropriate for perennially flooded or permanently floating communities.