Potentials and pitfalls of social capital ties to climate change adaptation: an exploratory study of Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines

Abstract Climate change’s impacts vary across different geographical regions and societies, thus, underpinning the value of context-specific adaptation strategies grounded in local knowledge, social cohesion and community dynamics. This paper explores the potentials and pitfalls of social capital to climate change adaptation – an underexplored area of inquiry on climate change and Indigenous development literature. A qualitative case study design was used to conduct interviews and a focus group discussion with 14 Mamanwas and two government social workers in Eastern Visayas, the Philippines, from 2018 to mid-2019. Our findings suggest that while Mamanwas’ substantial bonding social capital ties contribute to their communal safety from weather extremes and adaptation to climate change, it has also unintentionally resulted in potentially adverse conditions, as can be deduced from their fragile bridging and linking capital ties with the broader community and government institutions. This research argues that social capital constitutes a vital social aspect of adaptation; therefore, policymakers and development workers must account for multiple scales and forms of adaptation, as well as acknowledge the importance of engaging, empowering and incorporating the political voice of Indigenous Peoples in crafting solutions on issues they consider relevant and urgent to their human development.