In the 67th episode of the Behind The Science podcast, we featured the professional life and work of scientist Dr. Pamela Tolentino. As a fluvial geomorphologist in the Philippines, she reflects on the importance of reconfiguring river management in the country—to incorporate nature-based methods in making river management more inclusive and sustainable.
In a series of policy briefs, Dr. Tolentino, alongside fellow research collaborators Drs. Williams and Brierley, argued for the need to include a holistic approach in the assessment of rivers for flood mitigation and water supply, to name but a few. She pointed out that traditional engineering practices should be complemented with nature-based solutions or thinking such as adopting—not in isolation—the following: landscape-thinking, ecological and hydrological approaches, and community knowledge. For instance, in the traditional way, she discussed how only the water aspect is being taken into account in flood control projects when other factors such as sedimentary rocks and geomorphic changes also influence river behavior.
Throughout the podcast, Dr. Tolentino reiterated that we should work with the river, not against it. She emphasized how dynamic our river systems are, and the ways to preserve them sustainably, is to acknowledge their diversity, treat them as part of the human systems, and through integrating community knowledge into the decision-making of flood control and other disaster risk management endeavors. She shared an experience from one of her fieldwork projects where she investigated the level of pollution of nearby rivers within the Aeta community. Their indigenous knowledge of and respect for these natural resources help in preserving the rivers and, ultimately, the entire ecosystem.
Dr. Tolentino’s scientific accomplishments as a fluvial geomorphologist can be attributed from her humble beginnings as a BS Biology student from the University of the Philippines Diliman. Taking courses like Microbiology and Cell Biology, she was fascinated by the idea that studying the smallest living creatures (often not visible by the naked eye) serve important roles in unraveling knowledge beneficial to humanity. Her appreciation for scientific discovery strengthened when she took on environmental projects as an MS Geology student and, later on, as a Ph.D. in Earth Science student from the University of Glasgow School of Geographical and Earth Sciences. In this phase of her life, she became more enthusiastic in pursuing a field of interest which plays a vital role in ensuring that we manage our rivers from the catchment-scale lens—integrating nature-based methods that can serve for long-term sustainability.
Episode 67 ends with a point-of-reflection from Dr. Tolentino encouraging Filipino communities to appreciate the rivers they are surrounded by. She stated how this type of water resource provides us comfort and shelter. Thus, in return, we should be involved in promoting its sustainable measures because they deserve to breed and grow with us.
Youtube: bit.ly/btspodcast-yt
Spotify: bit.ly/btspodcast-spotify
Facebook: https://bit.ly/btspodcast-fb
Research Spotlight:
Tolentino, P. L. M., Williams, R. D. and Brierley, G. J. (2025) Reconfiguring River Management in the Philippines. Project Report. University of Glasgow. ► https://presentations.copernicus.org/…
Do you want to nominate a scientist in the field of DRR and geosciences to be featured on the Behind the Science Podcast? Or, have you read an author’s publication whose behind-the-scenes story you are eager to hear about? Email us at upri.educ@up.edu.ph, and we will do our best to feature them on the BTS Podcast!