Status, Governance and Development of Gunao Lake : The Little-Known Lake of Dolores, Quezon, Philippines

Anchored on the scarcity of small lake studies in the country, the article explores the little-known small lake of Dolores, Quezon, Philippines — Gunao Lake; its existence virtually unheard of in scholarly literature. Specifically, the study documents the crater lake by delineating the status of the lake using seven basic governance and development parameters. Using data from interviews, site observations, and few existing documents on the lake, the study contends that Gunao Lake is deficient in key management and conservation enablers: the absence of a management council and a Master Development Plan, and the failure to institutionalise tourism, funding mechanisms and maintenance activities. These failings are attributable to the local government's limited funds and the failure to tie-up the small lake's development within its centrepiece tourism project in Mount Banahaw area. In placing Gunao Lake on the literature map, overall, this study makes a small step in expanding the governance and development studies on small lakes in the country