Economic Vulnerability and Possible Adaptation to Coastal Erosion in San Fernando City, Philippines

Abstract

This study from the Philippines investigates erosion in one of the country's more developed coastal regions. It finds that this coastline is vulnerable to the impact of erosion and that, if nothing is done, the problem will cause hundreds of millions of Php worth of damage. It also finds that a planned protection strategy is the most rational approach to adopt. Such a strategy is socially and politically acceptable, justifiable from an economic perspective and also preserves the area's beaches along with the social services they provide. This study, which is the work of a research team from the Department of Economics, at the University of the Philippines Los Baños, assesses the coastline of San Fernando Bay in the La Union region of the Philippines. It looks at approximately seven kilometers of the bay's coastline. San Fernando Bay is a densely populated area and it was chosen because it was identified as a place where coastal erosion is already prevalent. Sea-level rise is a major concern across the Philippines and beyond. Its scale and impact are both expected to become more widespread due to climate change and sea level rise. This makes the findings of this report particularly important and timely.economic vulnerability, coastal erosion, Philippines