Weeding through assumptions of livelihood approaches in ICM: Seaweed farming in the Philippines and Indonesia

Seaweed farming is a popular alternative livelihood approach that has been included in Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) projects in many tropical developing countries. Using a comparison of various sites in the southern Philippines and northern Indonesia, this paper examines the assumption that as fishers engage in more lucrative livelihoods, such as seaweed farming, pressure will be reduced on the fisheries. It concludes that in some cases seaweed farming has reduced certain types of fishing activities, but it should not be assumed that seaweed farming alone will result in reduced fishing effort. Appropriately combined with other resource management tools, seaweed farming can contribute to an integrated seascape management approach by providing one component of a diversified household livelihood strategy.