Silent Forests, Hidden Stories: A Phenomenological Exploration of Wildlife Trade Experiences in Palawan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22178322Keywords:
wildlife trade, phenomenology, PESTEL framework, Palawan, environmental criminology, community-based conservationAbstract
Wildlife trade remains a persistent environmental, criminological, and socio-economic concern in Palawan, yet limited qualitative research has examined how individuals within resource-dependent communities experience and interpret this phenomenon. This study explored the lived experiences of individuals directly and indirectly affected by wildlife trade in the Malampaya Area, Taytay, Palawan; examined the political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal (PESTEL) conditions, consequences, and moral dilemmas surrounding wildlife trade; determined its perceived impacts on informants' lives; and generated a community-based intervention. A qualitative phenomenological design was employed. Twenty purposively selected adult informants, including hunters, traders, conservationists, and community residents, participated in semi-structured interviews and limited field observations. Data were transcribed, coded, categorized, and analyzed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis. The findings showed that wildlife trade was embedded in everyday community life and shaped by livelihood dependence, poverty, governance and enforcement, social relationships, transportation and communication systems, environmental decline, and legal awareness. Participants described a persistent tension between economic survival and conservation ethics, alongside social stigma, livelihood disruption, fear of enforcement, declining wildlife resources, and growing conservation awareness. The study concludes that wildlife trade in Malampaya is a multidimensional socio-ecological reality that cannot be addressed by enforcement alone. The proposed Kabuhayan at Kalikasan program integrates sustainable livelihood support, conservation education, community monitoring, law-enforcement coordination, psychosocial support, and research-based evaluation to align biodiversity protection with community realities.
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