Article

Building Urban Climate Resilience: Assessing Awareness,

Perception, and Willingness regarding Nature-Based
Solutions and Climate Change among Stakeholders in
Iligan City, Philippines
Audrey Rose A. Velayo 1 , Peter D. Suson 1 , Maricar M. Aguilos 2 and Hernando P. Bacosa 1, *

1 Environmental Science Graduate Program, Department of Biological Sciences, Mindanao State

University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT), Tibanga, Iligan City 9200, Philippines;
audreyrose.velayo@g.msuiit.edu.ph (A.R.A.V.); peter.suson@g.msuiit.edu.ph (P.D.S.)
2 Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University,
Raleigh, NC 27606, USA; mmaguilo@ncsu.edu
* Correspondence: hernando.bacosa@g.msuiit.edu.ph

Abstract: Iligan City has been the heart of major industries in steel, cement, and hydropower and
is one of the highly urbanized coastal cities in Mindanao, Philippines. Due to its geological state,
environmental challenges like flooding, natural disasters, and environmental degradation have been
experienced by the city. With the climate crisis, these risks are being magnified. Recently, nature-
based solutions (NBS) have gained significant attention worldwide, viewed as a key solution to
the consequences of climate change. Yet implementation of strategies and policies regarding NBS,
especially in developing countries, has received poor attention. Hence, this study aims to assess
the awareness and perceptions of stakeholders in Iligan City regarding climate change, NBS, and
willingness to engage in actions involving NBS. Stakeholder mapping and surveys were conducted
through purposive sampling. A total of 187 respondents were interviewed from different sectors
Citation: Velayo, A.R.A.; Suson, P.D.;
(LGUs, NGOs, the private sector, and academia) in Iligan City. Results revealed significant differences
Aguilos, M.M.; Bacosa, H.P. Building
in awareness and perceptions across the distinct socio-economic backgrounds of stakeholders, where
Urban Climate Resilience: Assessing
respondents with higher education and income have greater levels of awareness, perception, and
Awareness, Perception, and Willingness
willingness. The study recommends future targeted approaches and increased campaigns for climate
regarding Nature-Based Solutions and
Climate Change among Stakeholders
change and sustainable solutions such as integrating NBS in adaptation strategies and mitigation
in Iligan City, Philippines. Urban Sci. plans to foster multi-level stakeholder collaboration.
2024, 8, 53. https://doi.org/10.3390/
urbansci8020053 Keywords: nature-based solutions; climate change; stakeholders; Iligan City; awareness; perception

Academic Editors: Carmela Mariano,

Laura Ricci, Irene Poli and
Marsia Marino
1. Introduction
Received: 1 March 2024 Climate change has been studied and predicted extensively, particularly in light of its
Revised: 26 April 2024
negative consequences for human survival. Regarded as one of the largest global concerns
Accepted: 11 May 2024
at present, climate change has continued to progress over time due to various destructive
Published: 17 May 2024
anthropogenic activities brought by global industrialization, on top of its natural causes
such as volcanic emissions and the shifts in carbon dioxide in the planet’s atmosphere [1].
These major economic and industrial events have led to dwindling carbon sinks, while
Copyright: © 2024 by the authors.
greenhouse gases continue to amass greatly in the atmosphere, placing the planet at a
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. critical point [2–4]. While urbanization continues to expand in most countries, it has also
This article is an open access article exacerbated the risks that are already present in most cities, such as air pollution, sea
distributed under the terms and level rise, flooding, urban heat, and health hazards, especially for individuals who are
conditions of the Creative Commons members of the most vulnerable populations [5,6]. Studies have shown that while climate
Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// change effects have been negatively affecting the entire planet, particularly in countries
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ with megacities and highly urbanized areas, this long-term threatening phenomenon
4.0/). has been more felt in developing nations due to heightened vulnerability, which is more

Urban Sci. 2024, 8, 53. https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci8020053 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/urbansci

Urban Sci. 2024, 8, 53 2 of 15

likely attributed to their topographical state and poverty. For instance, limited adaptive
capacity, infrastructure, and resources to cope with climate change impacts and their
geographical exposure are observed in developing nations located in areas with heightened
environmental hazards that are more susceptible to disasters, which then can be further
exacerbated by the effects of climate change [7,8].
The Philippines is an archipelagic country with over 7000 islands stretching along the
Pacific Ocean’s rim and has one of the world’s longest coastlines [9–11]. Given the country’s
geographical location and the frequency of tropical cyclones that bring with them heavy
rains, flooding, and rising sea levels that increase the risk of storm surges, the Philippines
is one of the most vulnerable countries to extreme weather events related to climate change
worldwide, especially in urban areas [12,13]. With climate change effects and the country’s
economic state, these environmental risks and hazards of the country are magnified despite
the country being one of the least contributors to global emissions of greenhouse gasses,
with a 0.48% global share of greenhouse gas while ranking 121st for climate vulnerability in
the year 2021 [14,15]. In addition to this, various risks are faced by local communities from
poor households as they are more vulnerable to climate change impacts than those that are
from moderate and high-income households. Specifically, studies have been conducted in
Vietnam and in the Philippines, where household characteristics such as types of livelihood,
income, and exposure to hazards are found to be determining factors in their vulnerability
and in which low adaptive capacity was found to be an antecedent to vulnerability [13].
On the island of Mindanao, Iligan City has been regarded as an industrial city of the
south known for various domains in steel, cement, ferroalloy plants, and crude coconut
oil, with the city’s power harnessed from the Maria Cristina Falls hydropower plants
located within the city’s boundaries [16–18]. Iligan City is classified as a highly urbanized
coastal city; with the city’s geological state, it has been prone to various environmental
disasters such as typhoons, landslides, earthquakes, and especially flooding, which are
more likely to be intensified due to the threat of climate change impacts such as increased
sea levels in coastal areas [19,20]. Iligan has gone through several instances of natural
disasters, including the devastating case of the tropical cyclone “Sendong”. In response,
the government of Iligan City has made efforts and taken actions to enhance disaster risk
reduction plans, policy, and management, as well as mitigation strategies as prevention and
readiness for future disaster events. For instance, ‘Project Climate Twin Phoenix’, supported
by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), aims to formulate contingency plans
for cities in Mindanao, including Iligan City, to cope with the challenges posed by climate
change. The flood contingency plan in 2012, focusing on the residents of Iligan City, aims
to provide warning communication systems and flood drills for future disasters [21]. Aside
from this, stakeholders from Iligan City have recently aimed at being a climate-disaster-
resilient city, with projects and partnerships from private entities, academic communities,
and the National Resilience Council (NRC) for the accomplishment of the “Adopt-a-City”
plan, which aims to empower Iligan City through developing scientific-based solutions and
policies. Through this, Iligan City eyes future meaningful partnerships, especially among
the private sector [22,23].
Meanwhile, nature-based solutions to climate change continue to garner attention
as a key solution in addressing climate change, especially in urban cities. Nature-based
solutions (NBSs) are sustainable interventions or actions that are highly effective and ef-
ficient, inspired or heavily influenced by nature, providing various benefits and services
that address environmental challenges such as biodiversity loss and particularly climate
change [24]. Examples of these NBS are natural water reservoirs, constructed wetlands,
urban greening, reforestation, green infrastructure, and other green landscapes or manage-
ment that help mitigate climate change impacts and other threats posed by the growing
mass emissions of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere [25,26]. Adapting NBS to climate
change strategies has been viewed to have greater potential in terms of achieving sustain-
able development in most countries [27,28]. The assistant director of the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources/Ecosystem Research and Development Bureau of the
Urban Sci. 2024, 8, 53 3 of 15

Philippines has recently shared NBS for its best practices for ecosystem restoration and
conservation, resiliency to disasters, and also towards climate change impact mitigation for
communities in the Philippines. In addition to this, the need for accountability, adaptability,
and the willingness of stakeholders was also addressed in consideration of integrating
NBS as an approach to addressing various environmental issues in localities [29]. Despite
this, the adoption of NBS has been sparse [30]. Various studies have looked into potential
barriers that may hinder the adoption and implementation of NBS and have found political
factors and institutional and knowledge barriers are the most dominant [30,31]
On the other hand, localized efforts to mitigate climate change have been viewed as a
means of successfully resolving environmental challenges. Thus, collaboration among mul-
tiple levels of stakeholders, particularly those in the local government sectors, is deemed
vital for successful implementations of policies, for instance, NBS. Aside from this, the need
to increase awareness and initiatives between institutions and sectors is important, espe-
cially in ASEAN countries for the effective enactment of NBS policies [26,32,33]. Previous
studies in the Philippines involving NBS have mainly focused on the varieties of types of
NBS implemented, their effectiveness, and their challenges [34,35]. However, awareness
and perception studies on NBS, particularly in the domain of governance and stakeholders
in the Philippines, have been limited.
Thus, the goal of this study is to assess the awareness and perceptions of stake-
holders in Iligan City on climate change and NBS and their willingness to engage in
actions involving NBS. This study specifically aims (1) to assess the relationship between
stakeholders’ level of awareness and perception toward climate change and NBS and
willingness to engage and (2) to determine differences among stakeholders’ levels of aware-
ness and perception of climate change and NBS and willingness to engage across their
socio-demographic backgrounds.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Theoretical Framework
The conceptual framework of this study is based on the theory of reasoned action
(TRA) by Fishbein and Ajzen (1977), which proposes that the behavioral intentions of an
individual are predicted by their attitudes and subjective norms. According to Fishbein
and Ajzen (1977), the way an individual perceives positively or negatively a certain concern
or action would lead to them likely intending to engage in a certain behavior [36]. In this
study, behavioral intent is the stakeholder’s willingness to engage in NBS implementations,
while attitudes or perceptions are the stakeholder’s perceptions of climate change and NBS.
Furthermore, this study is also guided by the social identity theory (SIT) by Tajfel (1979),
where an individual’s social belonging to certain groups with distinct shared characteristics
influences their self-concept. In this study context, awareness and perceptions of climate
change and NBS may likely align according to the norms and values shared among different
groups of stakeholders such as sectors, educational backgrounds, and income groups.

2.2. Research Design and Study Area

This study followed a cross-sectional descriptive/quantitative design to assess stake-
holder awareness and perception of climate change and NBS, as well as their willingness to
engage with different sectors of stakeholders in Iligan City. Interviews with stakeholders
were carried out to produce and collect information from a population over a specified
period. In the northern region of Mindanao, Iligan City is categorized as a highly urbanized
and lone-district city in the province of Lanao del Norte (Figure 1). It has an estimated
population of 363,115 and a population density of 446 people per per square kilometer,
with an average household size of 4.2. Iligan City a coastal city with a total land area of
813.37 km2 and is approximately 6 m above sea level [18].
 period. In the northern region of Mindanao, Iligan City is categorized as a highly u
ized and lone-district city in the province of Lanao del Norte (Figure 1). It has an estim
population of 363,115 and a population density of 446 people per per square kilom
with an average household size of 4.2. Iligan City a coastal city with a total land a
Urban Sci. 2024, 8, 53 813.37 km2 and is approximately 6 m above sea level [18]. 4 of 15

Figure 1. Map of Iligan City, Philippines, showing its 44 barangays. The barangay is the smallest
Figure 1. Map of Iligan City, Philippines, showing its 44 barangays. The barangay is the sm
political unit in political
the Philippines.
unit in the Philippines.

2.3. Research Instruments and Data Gathering

2.3. Research Instruments and Data Gathering
This study utilized an adapted survey questionnaire to measure the stakeholders’
This study utilized an adapted survey questionnaire to measure the stakeho
level of perception and awareness toward climate change and nature-based solutions, as
level of perception and awareness toward climate change and nature-based solutio
well as their level of willingness to engage. To gather the respondent’s sociodemographic
well as their level of willingness to engage. To gather the respondent’s sociodemogr
background data, a demographic profile sheet, consisting of the participant’s name (op-
background data, a demographic profile sheet, consisting of the participant’s nam
tional), address, age, sex, affiliation, income, job/employment, civil status, educational
tional), address, age, sex, affiliation, income, job/employment, civil status, education
attainment, and years of residency was provided. As for the second part of the question-
tainment, and years of residency was provided. As for the second part of the que
naire, a questionnaire developed by [37,38] was adapted and localized to fit the study’s
naire, a questionnaire developed by [37] and [38] was adapted and localized to fi
context to measure the level of perception and awareness of the respondents in Iligan City,
Philippines in study’s
Table S1context
(pleaseto measure
see the levelMaterials).
Supplementary of perception Theand awareness
adapted of the responde
questionnaire
consists of the following sub-domains: the awareness and perceptions of NBS and climate question
Iligan City, Philippines (please see Supplementary Materials). The adapted
consists
change and, lastly, of theoffollowing
the level willingnesssub-domains:
to engage. The the awareness
first domain and
of perceptions of NBS and cl
the questionnaire
change and, lastly, the level of willingness to engage. The
is a five-point Likert scale that aims to measure the level of awareness of the respondents first domain of the question
is a five-point Likert scale that aims to measure the
to climate change and NBS. The awareness questionnaire consists of 12 items with two level of awareness of the respon
sub-domains, to climate
with changesuch
statements and asNBS. Thewell
“I am awareness
aware of questionnaire
global warming consists of 12 items wit
or climate
sub-domains, with statements such as “I am well
change and its impacts”, “There are nature-based solution initiatives present in this aware of global warming
city” or cl
change and its impacts”, “There are nature-based solution
and, “Climate change will be more severe in the future”. In this study, the awareness initiatives present in this
and, “Climate change will be more severe
questionnaire has an acceptable Cronbach alpha value of 0.8712. in the future”. In this study, the awareness
The secondtionnaire
domain has
is an
theacceptable
perceptionCronbach alpha value
questionnaire, whichofuses
0.8712.
a five-point Likert
The second
scale that aims to measure domain
the level is the perception
of perception questionnaire,
of the respondents toward which uses
climate a five-point L
change
and nature-basedscalesolutions.
that aimsIttoconsists
measure thestatements
of 10 level of perception of the respondents
such as “Climate change is real toward cl
change and nature-based solutions. It consists of 10 statements
and is a significant threat to this city”, “I support increased funding for environmental such as “Climate ch
planning such as green spaces, constructed wetlands, and eco parks”, “Climate change
impacts (e.g., urban heat, sea level rise, intensified flooding, etc.) are noticeable in this city”,
with responses ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree”. For this study, the
perception scale has an acceptable Cronbach alpha value of 0.8326.
Lastly, the third domain is the five-point Likert willingness scale that aims to measure
the respondent’s level of willingness to engage in actions or activities related to nature-
based solutions. It consists of items with statements such as “I will be willing to participate
Urban Sci. 2024, 8, 53 5 of 15

in the drafting of NBS projects and the implementation of these interventions” and “I will
be willing to participate in activities related to these interventions and the funding of
them”, with responses ranging from “very unwilling” to “very willing”. For this study, the
willingness questionnaire has an acceptable Cronbach alpha value of 0.7528. The research
questionnaires used in this study were reviewed and assessed for validity by the panel
of experts of the Department of Biological Science at Mindanao State University/Iligan
Institute of Technology. Before the data collection proper, pilot testing was conducted
to ensure the validity of the research questionnaires used in the study. Furthermore, the
questionnaires went through several revisions before submission to the ethical board of
conduct. After obtaining the ethical approval, the proper data gathering process then
followed. Furthermore, the reliability of each subdomain in the questionnaire was tested
and scored for its Cronbach alpha value with Jamovi ver. 2.3.28 statistical software.
Using a non-probability sampling method through Key-informant Interviews (KIIs),
this study has gathered a total sample of 187 responses from stakeholders in Iligan City,
Philippines. Before the actual gathering of data, the researcher identified and selected
potential participants of the study through the stakeholder mapping approach used in
a study by [39]. First, an initial stakeholder identification took place which involved
reviewing the existing database for a preliminary list of organizations, groups, institutions,
and other agencies within Iligan City. After this, the second process was a consultation
wherein all relevant stakeholder sectors from different private and government units were
identified in the city and contacted for consultation with authorities and other relevant
organizations to identify more potential participants for the study. Once identified, a third
process involving which is a criterion for selection was established. They were narrowed
down only to those agencies or organizations that are involved in the environmental
planning, development, implementation, and decision-making processes in Iligan City.
The criteria were limited to expertise, influence, and organizational mandate. The selected
sectors of stakeholders that were identified were approached and given intent letters to
survey their offices. Before the survey started, an informed consent sheet including the
title and main purpose of the study was handed out to the respondents. All the collected
responses that were gathered and sorted were treated with utmost confidentiality as
mandated by the Philippine Data Privacy Act of 2012.
The inclusion criteria for determining the participants for this study are as follows:
(1) bonafide residents of the city; (2) 18 years of age and above; (3) employees and experts
from the local and national government or non-governmental organizations, academia, and
the private sector involved in city environmental planning, development, implementation,
and resilience; and (4) all genders. The gathering of the respondents for this study was
conducted on-site at the target location of the study.
Furthermore, while this study has gathered data across various sector groups, this study
may not fully represent each sector group equally, which may cause bias. Also, the study is
cross-sectional in that data were gathered in a specific time period. Future studies may focus on
establishing a longitudinal study approach to capture the causal direction of the study’s focus.

2.4. Data Analysis

The collected data were tabulated and analyzed using Jamovi ver. 2.3.28, which is
open-source statistical software. The reliability of the questionnaires was calculated by
determining their internal consistency through the Cronbach alpha. Furthermore, the
frequency and distribution of the sociodemographic profile of the respondents, such as
gender, educational attainment, sector, income, years of residence, and civil status, together
with the level of awareness, perception, and willingness, were analyzed and calculated
using descriptive statistics (frequency, mean, median, and percentage) through Microsoft
Excel 2022.
The process also includes running a Pearson correlation to analyze the strength of the
relationship between awareness of climate change, awareness of NBS, perceptions of climate
change, perceptions of NBS, and willingness to engage. Subsequently, the relationships
Urban Sci. 2024, 8, 53 6 of 15

between the respondents’ level of perceptions, awareness, and willingness to engage in ac-
tions related to climate change and NBS and also their sociodemographic background were
calculated using one-way ANOVA/Kruskal–Wallis analysis and Dwass–Steel–Critchlow–
Fligner pairwise comparisons to analyze differences among variables further.

3. Results
3.1. Respondent Profile, Level of Awareness, Perception, and Willingness
This study has utilized a sample of 187 participants across the different sectors of
stakeholders in Iligan City that were involved in city environmental planning, development,
implementation, and resilience (Table 1). Most of the gathered respondents were women
(62.6%), while the rest were men (37.4%). In addition, the majority of the respondents
were married (48.7%), followed by those who were single (44.4%), and the least were those
who were widowed (4.8%). Moreover, the majority of the educational backgrounds of
the stakeholders were college graduates (81.8%), followed by master’s graduates (8%),
while only a few of them were college undergraduates (1.6%). Furthermore, approximately
42.8% of the participants have an estimated monthly income of PHP 10,000–PHP 20,000,
followed by those whose income is below PHP 10,000 (20.9%), while only 2.1% of the
sample population’s income was PHP 40,000–PHP 50,000.

Table 1. Frequency distribution of respondents’ sociodemographic backgrounds.

Demographic Variables Count % of Total Cumulative %

Male 70 37.4% 37%
Gender
Female 117 62.6% 100%
Single 83 44.4% 44.4%
Married 91 48.7% 93.0%
Civil status
Separated 4 2.1% 95.2%
Widowed 9 4.8% 100.0%
Master’s graduate 15 8.0% 8.0%
College graduate 153 81.8% 89.8%
Educational Ph.D. graduate 4 2.1% 92.0%
background College undergraduate 3 1.6% 93.6%
Vocational graduate 6 3.2% 96.8%
High school graduate 6 3.2% 100.0%
PHP 20,000–PHP 30,000 36 19.3% 19.3%
PHP 10,000–PHP 20,000 80 42.8% 62.0%
PHP 30,000–PHP 40,000 18 9.6% 71.1%
Income
Below PHP 10,000 39 20.9% 92.5%
PHP 50,000 and above 10 5.3% 97.9%
PHP 40,000–PHP 50,000 4 2.1% 100.0%
Academia 63 33.7% 33.7%
Private sector 23 12.3% 46.0%
Sector
LGU 76 40.6% 86.6%
NGOs 25 13.4% 100.0%
More than 10 years 148 79.1% 79.1%
Years of 1–2 years 16 8.6% 87.7%
residency 5–10 years 14 7.5% 95.2%
3–4 years 9 4.8% 100.0%
Urban Sci. 2024, 8, 53 7 of 15

A total of four different sectors of stakeholders were sampled in this study, with 40%
of the respondents coming from the local government unit (LGU), which makes up most
of the population, followed by 33.7% from the academic sector and then by 13.4% from
non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Meanwhile, only 12.3% of the sample population
are from the private sector.
Shown below in Table 2 are the data for the respondents’ level of awareness on topics
covering climate change and nature-based solutions (NBS). The top four topics in which
the respondents have high levels of awareness are areas related to climate change, with
median scores of 4.32 and above. Meanwhile, the areas of topics covering NBS and related
policies have only moderate awareness among respondents.

Table 2. Awareness of climate change and NBS among respondents. Range of scoring: Not Aware
(1.00–1.80), Slightly Aware (1.81–2.60), Moderately Aware (2.61–3.40), Aware (3.41–4.20), Fully Aware
(4.21–5).

Topic Median Score Level of Awareness

General awareness of climate change 4. 35 Fully Aware
Impact on health and well-being 4.48 Fully Aware
Climate change causes 4.43 Fully Aware
Climate change risks 4.32 Fully Aware
Nature-based solutions and their benefits 3.21 Moderately Aware
Policies on climate change and nature-based solutions 3.59 Moderately Aware

On the other hand, the respondents’ levels of perceptions in Table 3 shows that
the respondents have high levels of perceptions, and they perceive climate change as a
significant threat and that there is a need to address it. Furthermore, they also strongly agree
on topics surrounding NBS and its effectiveness in combating climate change, especially in
Iligan City.

Table 3. Perception on climate change and NBS.

Urban Sci. 2024, 8, x FOR PEER REVIEW 8 of 16
Median Level of
Topic
Score Awareness
Climatesolutions
Nature-based change ishelp
realin
and is a significant
mitigating climatethreat to this city. 4. 46 Strongly Agree
There is a need to address climate change in this 4.12
city. Agree
4.43 Strongly Agree
change risks and impacts.
Nature-based solutions help in mitigating climate change risks and impacts. 4.12 Agree
Nature-based solutions effectively combat climate
Nature-based solutions effectively combat climate change 4.14in this city. 4.14
Agree Agree
change in this city.

Similarly,
Similarly, thethe respondents
respondents alsohigh
also have havelevels
highoflevels of willingness
willingness to engage into engage in positive
positive
actions related to NBS and climate change (Figure
actions related to NBS and climate change (Figure 2). 2).

Figure 2.2.Level
Figure Levelof willingness among
of willingness stakeholders.
among N = 187. N = 187.
stakeholders.

3.2. Intercorrelations between Awareness of Climate Change, Awareness of Nature-Based

Solutions, Perceptions of Climate Change, Perceptions of Nature-Based Solutions, and
Willingness to Engage
The respondents’ awareness of climate change in Figure 3 below has a strong positive
correlation with awareness of NBS (r = 0.565), perceptions of nature-based solutions (r =
Urban Sci. 2024, 8, 53 8 of 15

3.2. Intercorrelations between Awareness of Climate Change, Awareness of Nature-Based Solutions,

Perceptions of Climate Change, Perceptions of Nature-Based Solutions, and Willingness to Engage
The respondents’ awareness of climate change in Figure 3 below has a strong posi-
tive correlation with awareness of NBS (r = 0.565), perceptions of nature-based solutions
(r = 0.671), and willingness to engage (r = 0.267) (Figure 3). Also, there is a positive corre-
lation of awareness of nature-based solutions toward perceptions of NBS (r = 0.569) and
willingness to engage (r = 0.153). In the same way, willingness to engage also demonstrates
Urban Sci. 2024, 8, x FOR PEER
positive REVIEW between awareness of climate change (r = 0.267) and NBS (r = 0.153)
correlations 9 o

and perceptions of climate change (r = 0.236) and NBS (r = 0.165).

Figure 3. PearsonFigure 3. Pearson

correlation matrixcorrelation
between matrix between the
the perceptions perceptions
of climate of climate
change (PCC), change (PCC), aware
awareness
of climate change (ACC), perceptions of NBS (PNBS), awareness
of climate change (ACC), perceptions of NBS (PNBS), awareness of NBS (ANBS), and willingness of NBS (ANBS), and willing
among stakeholders. ** Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). *
among stakeholders. ** Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). * Correlation is significantCorrelation is sig
cant at the 0.01 level (1-tailed). *** Correlation is significant at the 0.001 level. N = 187.
at the 0.01 level (1-tailed). *** Correlation is significant at the 0.001 level. N = 187.

Meanwhile,3.3. Differences between

perceptions Awareness
of climate changeand Perception
show a strongof Climate
negativeChange and Nature-Based
intercorrelation
Solutions and Willingness to Engage among Stakeholders
between awareness of climate change (r = −0.748) and NBS (r = −0.517), perceptions of
NBS (r = −0.745), and The perceptions
willingness to of climate
engage (r change
= −0.236).have a significant difference among the diffe
groups of sectors, with a p-value of 0.003 (Table 4). Pairwise comparisons show the diff
3.3. Differences between
ences inAwareness and Perception
stakeholders’ perceptionsof Climate Change
of climate andamong
change Nature-Based Solutions
the different sectors and
and Willingness to Engage
hibit among
that the Stakeholders
perceptions of climate change in the academic sector are significantly diff
ent from
The perceptions the private
of climate sector,
change LGUs,
have and NGOsdifference
a significant in Table S2among
(Please the
see Supplementary
different Fi
groups of sectors, with a p-value of 0.003 (Table 4). Pairwise comparisons show the differ-
Table 4.
ences in stakeholders’ One-way ANOVA/Kruskal–Wallis
perceptions of climate change among analysis
the of the relationship
different between
sectors and awareness o
exhibit
mate change, awareness of nature-based solutions, perceptions of climate change, perception
that the perceptions of climate change in the academic sector are significantly different
nature-based solutions, and willingness to engage with sectors as grouping variables. The p-v
from the privateissector, LGUs, and NGOs in Table S2 (please see Supplementary Files).
significant at <0.05. N = 187.

Variable X2 df p-Valu
Awareness of climate change 7.44 3 0.059
Awareness of nature-based solutions 1.39 3 0.708
Perceptions of climate change 14.85 3 0.003
Urban Sci. 2024, 8, 53 9 of 15

Table 4. One-way ANOVA/Kruskal–Wallis analysis of the relationship between awareness of climate

change, awareness of nature-based solutions, perceptions of climate change, perceptions of nature-
based solutions, and willingness to engage with sectors as grouping variables. The p-value is
significant at <0.05. N = 187.

Variable X2 df p-Value
Awareness of climate change 7.44 3 0.059
Awareness of nature-based solutions 1.39 3 0.708
Perceptions of climate change 14.85 3 0.003
Perceptions of nature-based solutions 14.26 3 0.004
Willingness to engage 1.32 3 0.725

Similarly, perceptions of nature-based solutions have been found to have significant

differences at a p-value of 0.004 (Table 4). Further analysis through pairwise comparisons
also conveyed that the academic sector has significantly greater perceptions of nature-
based solutions compared to the private sector and LGUs, as seen in Supplementary
Materials Table S2.
The Table 5 results below show that awareness of climate change, perceptions of
climate change, perceptions of nature-based solutions, and willingness to engage have
significant differences. The pairwise comparison seen in Supplementary Materials Table S3
shows that there is a significant difference between the master’s graduate and high school
graduate levels, wherein the perceptions of climate change and awareness of climate change
are higher in the master’s graduate level compared to the high school graduate level.

Table 5. One-way ANOVA/Kruskal–Wallis analysis of the relationship between awareness of climate

change, awareness of nature-based solutions, perceptions of climate change, perceptions of nature-
based solutions, and willingness to engage with educational background as a grouping variable. The
p-value is significant at <0.05. N = 187.

Variable X2 df p-Value
Awareness of climate change 18.71 5 0.002
Awareness of nature-based solutions 3.90 5 0.564
Perceptions of climate change 17.33 5 0.004
Perceptions of nature-based solutions 16.18 5 0.006
Willingness to engage 15.71 5 0.008

Similarly, the pairwise comparisons in Supplementary Materials Table S3 between

master’s graduates and vocational graduates reveal that there is a significant difference in
their level of perceptions of NBS and awareness of climate change. In the same way, pair-
wise comparisons between master’s graduates and college graduates exhibit a significant
difference in levels of willingness to engage, wherein master’s graduates show a higher
level of willingness to engage than college graduates.
Furthermore, the ANOVA results reveal that perceptions of climate change have a
significant difference among various income levels of stakeholders (Table 6). Similar to this,
perceptions of NBS also have a significant difference among income levels.
The pairwise comparisons in Table 7 below display significant differences in per-
ceptions of climate change and perceptions of NBS between the income groups of PHP
20,000–PHP 30,000 and below PHP 10,000, showing that the income group of PHP 20,000–
PHP 30,000 has higher levels of perceptions of climate change and perceptions of NBS in
comparison to the income group of below PHP 10,000.
The overall results conveyed that there are significant differences found only in per-
ceptions of climate change and NBS among the different sectors of stakeholders and that
there are also significant differences in their perceptions of climate change and NBS in
the distinct income groups among stakeholders. Moreover, among the different levels of
educational attainment among stakeholders, significant differences are also found in their
Urban Sci. 2024, 8, 53 10 of 15

awareness of climate change, perceptions of climate change and NBS, and willingness
to engage. However, awareness of NBS among the different educational backgrounds of
stakeholders found no significant differences.

Table 6. One-way ANOVA/Kruskal–Wallis analysis of the relationship between awareness of climate

change, awareness of nature-based solutions, perceptions of climate change, perceptions of nature-
based solutions, and willingness to engage with income as a grouping variable. The p-value is
significant at <0.05. N = 187.

Variable X2 df p-Value
Awareness of climate change 11.48 5 0.043
Awareness of nature-based solutions 5.52 5 0.356
Perceptions of climate change 20.96 5 0.001
Perceptions of nature-based solutions 16.31 5 0.006
Willingness to engage 6.65 5 0.248

Table 7. Dwass–Steel–Critchlow–Fligner pairwise comparisons across income among stakeholders.

Pairwise Comparisons
Variable Income W p-Value
PHP 20,000–30,000/below
Perceptions of climate change 5.024 0.005
PHP 10,000
Perceptions of nature-based PHP 20,000–30,000/below
−4.426 0.022
solutions PHP 10,000

4. Discussion
This study has found that respondents have an overall high level of awareness in terms
of climate change impacts. Stakeholders are fully aware of the significance of the threat
that climate change poses. According to them, carbon emissions from vehicles followed by
cutting trees are one of the big factors that likely contribute to climate change in the city of
Iligan. Carbon emissions (CO2 ) have been a major problem in countries belonging to South
East Asia, which includes the Philippines. CO2 emissions from agriculture, manufacturing,
and especially transportation have been a determining factor in such CO2 emissions [40,41].
Likewise, in the city of Iligan, Philippines, various industries and plants are present, such
as in cement and food manufacturing, on top of the daily vehicular emissions in the city,
and Iligan is regarded as the industrial city of the south [14–16]. Furthermore, respondents
also have high levels of awareness in terms of climate change impacts, risks, and causes.
Most of them have reported that regardless of age, group, and gender, everyone is at
risk of climate change impacts. Meanwhile, despite respondents being fully aware of
climate change, their level of awareness regarding NBS and its benefits is only moderate.
This implies that while stakeholders are aware of the urgency of climate change, they
might not have fully grasped the potentialities of NBS, especially regarding its specific
solutions to climate change. In addition to this, the majority of the respondents have
reported that they have learned or heard about NBS on social media platforms such as
Facebook (FB), Twitter, and TikTok, followed by TV programs and documentaries, as seen
in Supplementary Materials Figure S1. This implies that there is a need for further literacy
awareness programs regarding NBS for stakeholders in Iligan City.
On the other hand, respondents have high levels of perceptions surrounding climate
change and NBS. They perceived climate change as a significant threat to the city and its
urgency and highly perceived NBS’s role in combating its impacts in Iligan City. Similarly,
stakeholders in Iligan City also exhibit high levels of willingness in terms of positive
actions such as engagement in NBS implementation, prioritization, and collaboration.
These findings indicate that they are receptive to solutions for addressing climate change
and understand the significance of the threat of climate change in Iligan City. However,
Urban Sci. 2024, 8, 53 11 of 15

information surrounding specific applications of NBS and how it can be translated into
action is still needed.
The findings of this study indicate a significant positive intercorrelation between
awareness of climate change and nature-based solutions (NBS), perceptions of NBS, and
willingness to engage. This suggests that increased levels of awareness toward climate
change are associated with higher levels of awareness of NBS, greater positive perceptions
about NBS, and increased willingness to engage in activities and actions related to climate
change and NBS. On the other hand, negative intercorrelations have been found between
perceptions of climate change, awareness of climate change and NBS, perceptions of NBS,
and willingness to engage. This finding is consistent with the study conducted by [42] in
Italy, where they found that individuals who have a higher awareness of climate change are
linked with greater positive perceptions towards NBS projects such as green infrastructure
and willingness to contribute to its maintenance.
In this study’s context, higher awareness among stakeholders on climate change
matters and the benefits of NBS is linked with perceiving NBS more positively, which
is associated with a greater willingness to engage in support of NBS implementation in
the city of Iligan. Following the theory of reasoned action, the awareness of stakeholders
on climate change and NBS might shape their evaluation regarding the latter concerns,
which could translate to a stronger likelihood of engaging in actions related to NBS im-
plementation for climate action in Iligan City [43,44]. Although this study has found that
awareness, perceptions, and willingness to engage with climate change and NBS are signif-
icantly associated with one another, it does not establish direction or causation among this
study’s variables. Furthermore, previous studies have also explored the linkages between
the growing climate change awareness and engagement in environmental actions. They
have found that increasing awareness among communities and policymakers is one of
the key factors in the effective enactment of policies, actions, and implementations for
environmental action, especially with NBS [45–47].
Results revealed that both perceptions towards climate change and NBS have been
found to have significant differences among the groups of stakeholder sectors. This in-
dicates that stakeholders’ perceptions regarding climate change are significantly differ-
ent among the various sectors such as academia, local government units (LGUs), non-
governmental organizations (NGOs), and the private sector. Further analysis and compar-
ison reveal significant differences in perceptions of climate change and NBS among the
different sectors and exhibit that the perceptions of climate change in the academic sector
are significantly different from the private sector, LGU, and NGO stakeholders. This implies
that the academic sector has more positive perceptions regarding NBS and more negative
perceptions towards climate change than those stakeholders from the private sector, LGUs,
and NGOs. These findings align with the studies by [48,49] who have determined that
climate change and nature-based solutions (NBS) are perceived differently by different
stakeholders such as academia, governmental personnel, non-governmental organizations,
institutions, and other key responsible entities related to policy and decision-making. From
this study’s viewpoint, distinct group identities such as the different sectors of stakeholders
likely shape an individual’s perceptions and understanding of climate change and NBS
according to shared characteristics, similarities, and values within their affiliation, thus
leading to different levels of perception toward climate change and NBS [50]. Most of the
respondents from the academic sector in this study are those who are involved in or related
to environmental programs, projects, and teaching within the university or schools, such
as the personnel from the Mindanao Center for Resiliency, the Department of Sustainable
Studies, and other related departments. The collective experiences and views attributed to
their respective occupation may have linkages concerning their more positive perceptions
toward NBS and negative views of climate change compared to other stakeholder sectors.
In addition to this, the present study also found that only the awareness of NBS has
no significant differences among the different educational backgrounds of the stakeholders,
indicating that regardless of educational background, stakeholders are equally aware of
Urban Sci. 2024, 8, 53 12 of 15

NBS. This suggests that initiatives or campaigns regarding NBS may have reached various
stakeholders in Iligan City from distinct educational backgrounds. Recent actions by the
government of the Philippines regarding climate change have been mobilizing a national
adaptation plan that includes integrating NBS as a key element of the action plan [51,52].
These actions by the government, together with other bureaus and national government
units, may have been a contributing factor in the present awareness among stakeholders
regarding NBS in Iligan City.
Moreover, further analysis has found significant differences in perceptions of cli-
mate change and NBS among the distinct income groups among stakeholders. This indi-
cates that climate change and NBS are perceived differently by the different social classes.
Pairwise comparisons revealed that stakeholders from the lower/middle-income class
(PHP 20,000–PHP 30,000) perceive NBS positively and climate change negatively more
than the stakeholders coming from the poor-income class (below PHP 10,000). Consistent
with the social identity theory, socio-economic factors such as social class by income may
influence their perceptions of climate change and NBS, likely due to values, characteris-
tics, and norms shared within the social group, resulting in distinct perceptions among
stakeholders. Thus, stakeholders from lower-income groups in Iligan City may often pri-
oritize their well-being as they focus on meeting their daily needs for necessary survival,
leading to short-term outlooks on environmental issues [53]. In-work poverty has been
a problem in the Philippines due to a lack of productive job opportunities as most jobs
common among the poor are casual or job-order positions with no access to basic benefits.
This may have been a contributing factor to the present perceptions of those stakeholders
belonging to the lower-income groups in this study’s context [54]. Previous studies have
also determined that economic inequalities play a role in shaping individual attitudes,
responses, and individual perceptions [50,55].

5. Conclusions
This study examined the associations between stakeholders’ awareness and percep-
tions of climate change and NBS and their willingness to engage in actions related to NBS
implementations. Stakeholders who have higher awareness of NBS and climate change
tend to perceive NBS more positively and were linked with having higher levels of will-
ingness to engage in actions related to the latter and vice versa. Initiatives and campaigns
for climate action and sustainable solutions are needed even more, especially in Iligan
City, Philippines, more specifically with conducting NBS awareness literacy programs and
capacity building in specific NBS solutions among sectors to raise awareness and foster will-
ingness among key stakeholders from different sectors to engage in a collaborative effort to
combat the impact of climate change, particularly in urban areas. It is recommended that
the lead governmental agency responsible for environmental sustainability and disaster
risk reduction should lead in disseminating information and integrate human awareness
and perception into strategies and policy formulation and also in leading multi-stakeholder
dialogues through forums for climate action plans that integrate sustainable solutions
such as NBS.
Furthermore, significant differences in awareness and perceptions of NBS and climate
change, as well as the willingness to engage, have been found in distinct sociodemographic
groups among stakeholders, especially among sectors and income groups. It is highly
recommended that entities responsible for awareness campaigns with climate change and
sustainable solutions should conduct targeted outreach programs (e.g., informational work-
shops and infographics) and enrichment activities regarding climate mitigation, integrating
sustainable solutions such as NB for sectors with lower awareness or engagement will-
ingness. Aside from this, the study has also found that perceptions of climate change
and NBS of those belonging to the poor-income group of stakeholders are significantly
different from those of other higher-income groups. However, this study has only focused
on stakeholder awareness and perception, and the investigation of potential barriers to
NBS was not accounted for in this study. Future directions in research may explore the
Urban Sci. 2024, 8, 53 13 of 15

barriers and the management aspect of stakeholders with regard to climate resilience and
NBS in Iligan City. It is also highly recommended to address possible in-work poverty
among sectors as it could be a determining factor for barriers in perceptions of climate
change and NBS, ultimately affecting future engagement.

Supplementary Materials: The following supporting information can be downloaded at: https://
www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/urbansci8020053/s1, Figure S1: Summary of respondents’ source of
information regarding the topic surrounding NBS; Table S1: Adapted questionnaires from Salem et al.
(2022) and Ferreira et al. (2021), consent form, and demographic profile sheet; Table S2: Dwass-Steel-
Critchlow-Fligner pairwise comparisons among sectors. Results of pairwise comparisons among
sectors are statisti-cally significant at <0.05; N: 187; Table S3: Dwass-Steel-Critchlow-Fligner pairwise
comparisons across the educational background of respondents.
Author Contributions: Conceptualization, A.R.A.V.; Funding acquisition, M.M.A.; Methodology,
H.P.B., P.D.S. and A.R.A.V.; Project administration, H.P.B.; Formal analysis, A.R.A.V. and P.D.S.;
Supervision, H.P.B. and P.D.S.; Resources, H.P.B., A.R.A.V. and M.M.A.; Writing—original draft,
A.R.A.V.; Writing—review and editing, A.R.A.V. and H.P.B. All authors have read and agreed to the
published version of the manuscript.
Funding: This research was funded by the Department of Science and Technology—Science Education
Institute (DOST-SEI) in collaboration with the Accelerated Science and Technology Human Resource
Development Program—National Science Research Consortium (ASTHRDP-NSRC).
Data Availability Statement: The questionnaire in the study is included in the Supplementary
Materials; further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.
Acknowledgments: The authors would like to acknowledge Jaime Q. Guihawan for his guidance on
the conception of the study’s variables and objectives and John M. Liwanag for the careful critique
and guidance on the pilot testing of the survey questionnaires, data validation, and analysis. The
authors would also like to express their utmost gratitude to the local government of Iligan City,
Philippines, for their cooperation with the data gathering.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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