ASSESSMENT OF TOURISM CARRYING CAPACITY OF OLO-OLO MANGROVE
FOREST AND ECO-PARK IN LOBO, BATANGAS, PHILIPPINES
Masa, Jan Racky A., Constantino, Charlene, Jovanne B., and Santos, Katherine T.
ABSTRACT
The Olo-olo Mangrove Forest and Ecopark (OMFE) in Lobo, Batangas, Philippines is recently
developed for marine and coastal ecotourism to provide alternative source of income to local
communities. The potential of increasing number of visitors and their related activities may cause
the degradation of resources and environment and disturb the welfare of the local communities.
Finding the right balance between economic benefits and environmental costs is essential to reach
sustainable development, ensuring that tourist numbers do not exceed the carrying capacity of the
tourism destination and considering management options grounded on participatory planning. This
research aims to determine the sustainability of the ecotourism management in OMFE by
calculating the optimal number of tourists who can be accepted considering the physical,
ecological environment, social and economic carrying capacities for combined Tourism Carrying
Capacity. Carrying capacities were computed using Boullon’s Model applied with Limits of
Acceptable Change (LAC) framework. Four (4) LAC opportunity classes mainly incorporating the
practices and preferences of the site manager and the visitors were considered in the computation
of each type of carrying capacity. Study reveals that the total physical carrying capacity may range
from 79 to 2488 tourists per day; ecological- solid wastes capacity of 333 tourists daily; ecologicalwater availability capacity of 20 tourists daily; social carrying capacity of 7200 to 9000 tourists
per day; and economic carrying capacity of 17 tourists daily. Combined tourism carrying capacity
of OMFE shows that the mangrove park can accommodate a wide range of number of tourists per
day depending on which LAC scenario will be applied. The combined carrying capacity is strictly
smaller than any of the carrying capacity of the tourism destination. Sets of optimal values to
satisfy the physical, ecological, social and economic requirements can be devised. The current
tourist influx in OMFE which is only 26 visitors daily on the average is far below the computed
combined carrying capacity and can be considered still directing towards sustainable ecotourism.
Keywords: Olo-olo Mangrove Forest and Ecopark, Tourism Carrying Capacity, combined
carrying capacity, Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC)