43
Tropical Coasts
• Guiding local governments.
At the municipal levels, local
governments can be guided as to
where to establish their new MPAs
within their respective municipal
waters. They can also choose to
either expand the current size
and confi guration of their existing
MPAs and/or improve their level of
management. The use of a specifi ed
grid (i.e., 5 km
2
for Verde and Balabac
and 2.5 km
2
for Cagayancillo) in
the analyses is very useful for local
managers to determine the habitat
area they can realistically protect
and eff ectively manage given
their manpower and the fi nancial
resources being allocated.
• Increasing compliance levels.
While it is ideal to declare large areas
Figure 3. Possible MPA network design for Balabac Strait with ecological (habitat
and species-based) and threat criteria considered.
as no-take (>1,000 ha) to achieve
both fi sheries and biodiversity
conservation objectives, the low
compliance of resource users,
especially those directly aff ected
by the no-take status, remains a big
challenge for local governments.
Such a situation will require the local
government to allocate a larger
budget for enforcement eff orts.
In most cases, local governments
neither have the funds nor the able
manpower to eff ectively enforce
fi sheries laws. Local governments
rely heavily on assisting
organizations to provide their local
hardware (i.e., boats, gasoline, etc.)
and ‘software’ (i.e., paralegal training,
deputization, awareness campaigns,
etc.) needs. Developing more
innovative ways to attain higher
compliance levels should be the
focus of conservation eff orts in the
municipalities and the MBCCs.
• Forging alliances. Local
governments can also be guided
on ways for benefi cial cooperation
and forming alliances to address
common problems like intrusion
of commercial fi shing vessels,
illegal fi shing, etc. Cooperative
management with adjacent
municipalities will not only minimize
costs but also improve eff ectiveness
and sustainability of eff orts in the
long term.
• Threat criteria considerations.
The combination of ecological and
threat criteria helps focus urgent
management interventions where
these are most needed at the site
level.
References
Abella, M.A.R. 2007. “Coral Mortality
Discrimination and Habitat Phase Shift
Analysis using Landsat TM and ETM+
imageries of Balabac, Palawan.” Thesis
conducted in partial fulfi llment of the
requirements for the Degree of Master
of Science in Remote Sensing, College
of Engineering, UP Diliman, Quezon
City.
Abesamis, R.A. and P.M. Aliño. 2006.
“Marine Protected Areas in the
Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion: A
Review of their Status, and Priorities
and Strategies for their Networking.”
Unpublished report. Marine and
Environment Resources Foundation,
Inc. and The Marine Science Institute,
University of the Philippines for the
World Wide Fund for Nature-Sulu-
Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion Program,
Quezon City, Philippines.
Alcala, A.C. and G.R. Russ. 2006. “No-take
Marine Reserves and Reef Fisheries
Management in the Philippines: A New
People Power Revolution.” Ambio 35 (5):
245-254.
Arceo, H.O., P.M. Aliño and R.O. Gonzales.
2008. “Where Are We Now with
Marine Protected Areas?” In: Coral
Reef Information Network of the
Philippines (PhilReefs). Reefs Through
44
July 2008
Box 2. Simulation of fi shing intensity, protected area and the total size of
the reef area in Verde Island Passage (MERF/MSI, 2008).
In this study using the estimated fish biomass, the number of fishers,
the intensity of fishing and the total size of the reef area, the Fisheries
Information for Sustainable Harvest and Bio-Economic (FISH-BE) model
was used to estimate MPA sizes and the maximum number of fishers
to be allowed in order to sustain fisheries in Verde Island and Mabini in
the Verde Island Passage. Currently, the small reef area and high fishing
intensity seems to be the cause for the very low daily catch rates of 1.7 to
2.5 kg/day.
The results of the modeling are provided in Table 1. The proposed MPA
sizes in proportion to the total reef areas were very high, at 73 percent and
53 percent for Verde Island and Mabini, respectively.
Table 1. Recommended MPA size (Percentage of reef area) and fi shing
effort regulation (number of fi shers supported by MPA) estimated
from the FISH-BE model for Verde Island and Mabini at the Verde
Island Passage.
Parameters
Verde Island Passage
Verde Island
Mabini
Municipal total reef area
(km
2
)
1.7
1.0
Municipal fi shers (using reef-
associated gears)
150
200
Demersal fi sh biomass
(metric tons/km
2
)
15.5
36
Municipal catch (kg/fi sher/
day)
2.5
1.7
Fishing days per year
162
162
% Demersal fi sh in municipal
catch
73
59
Management Options
MPA size (% of the total reef
area)
73
53
No. of fi shers that can be
supported
30
75
Time 2008: Initiating the State
of the Coasts Reports. Coral Reef
Information Network of the Philippines
(PhilReefs), MPA Support Network,
Marine Environment and Resources
Foundation, Inc. and the Marine Science
Institute, University of the Philippines,
Diliman, Quezon City. pp. 145-151.
Campos, W. L., P.D. Beldia III and M.P.
Noblezada. 2007. “Investigating
Biodiversity Corridors in the Sulu Sea:
Distribution and Dispersal of Fish
Larvae.” Semi-Annual Report – Year 2
(February to July 2007). Conservation
International-Philippines, OceanBio
Laboratory, and University of the
Philippines Visayas, Foundation, Inc.
Carpenter, K.E. and V.G. Springer. 2005.
“The center of the center of marine
shore fi sh biodiversity: The Philippine
Islands.” Environmental Biology of Fishes
72: 467-480.
Conservation Plan for the Sulu-Sulawesi
Marine Ecoregion (abridged). 2003.
Stakeholders of the SSME, Technical
Working Groups of Indonesia, Malaysia
and the Philippines, and the WWF-
SSME Conservation Program Team.
WWF Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion
Program, Diliman, Quezon City,
Philippines. 36 p.
Coral Reef Information Network of the
Philippines (Philreefs) 2005. Reefs
Through Time: 2004 Biennial Report
on the Status of Philippine Coral Reefs.
Coral Reef Information Network of
the Philippines (Philreefs) and the
Marine Science Institute, University of
the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City,
Philippines, 248 p.
Ledesma, M.C., M.G. Sabater and M.P.
Dygico. 2005. “Tubbataha Reef
National Marine Park and Associated
Reefs along the Cagayan Ridge.” In:
Coral Reef Information Network of
the Philippines (PhilReefs). Reefs
Through Time: 2004 Biennial Report
on the Status of Philippine Coral Reefs.
Coral Reef Information Network of
the Philippines (PhilReefs) and the
Marine Science Institute, University of
the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City,
Philippines, 192-203 pp.
MERF/MSI. 2008. “Completing the
Connectivity Cycle for Adaptive
Management: Coral Reef Ecosystem-
based MPA Network Management
Chain: Final Report. February 2008.”
MERF/Marine Science Institute,
University of the Philippines, Quezon
City, Philippines.
Jüer
gen F
reund