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July 2008

Box 2: CTI Goals and Objectives.

Over-arching Commitments to Action

Goal #1:  Priority Seascapes Designated and Effectively Managed

                                      

Target #1:   “Priority Seascapes” designated, with investment plans 

completed and sequenced 

Target #2:   Marine and coastal resources within all “Priority Seascapes” 

are being sustainably managed  

 Goal #2:  Ecosystem Approach to Management of Fisheries (EAFM) and Other 

Marine Resources Fully Applied

Target #1:   Strong legislative, policy and regulatory frameworks 

in place for achieving an ecosystem approach to 

management of fisheries and other marine resources 

Target #2:   Improved income, livelihoods and food security of 50 

million people living in coastal communities across the 

region through a new Sustainable Coastal Fisheries and 

Poverty Reduction Initiative (“COASTFISH”)

Target #3:   Sustainable management of shared tuna stocks achieved 

for all species of tuna exploited in the region, with special 

attention to spawning areas and juvenile growth stages

Target #4:   A more effective management and more sustainable trade 

in live-reef fish and reef-based ornamentals achieved 

Goal #3:  Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) Established and Effectively 

Managed 

Target #1:  Region-wide Coral Triangle MPA System (CTMPAS) in place 

and fully functional

Goal #4:  Climate Change Adaptation Measures Achieved

Target #1: 

Region-wide Early Action Climate Change Adaption 

Plan for the near-shore marine and coastal environment 

developed and implemented 

Target #2:   Networked National Centers of Excellence on Climate 

Change Adaptation for marine and coastal environments 

are established and in full operation

Goal #5:  Threatened Species Status Improving

Target #1:   Improved status of sharks, sea turtles, marine mammals 

and other identified threatened species  

       Source: CTI-CFF. 2008.

instead of coral reef fi shes.  Political support 

for the work in the corridors will be built 

and on-the-ground marine conservation 

experiences in the corridors will inform 

national and regional policies and 

government budget allocations, as well as 

produce a model for ocean governance 

that other countries in the Coral Triangle 

and beyond can follow. 

Increased attention will be focused 

on measuring Seascape success by 

establishing milestones, results, and 

deliverables for important components of 

the work at the species, site, and Seascape 

level. Financial sustainability, political 

viability, institutional capacity, economic 

viability, and information base and fl ow will 

be addressed.

Beyond this next phase, implementation 

of the Ecoregion Conservation Plan 

will be characterized by an evolution in 

intergenerational governance.

Thinking Synergy and 

Convergence 

Governments and stakeholders look 

forward to a mature Sulu-Sulawesi 

Seascape which has good governance at all 

levels and is ecologically, socio-politically, 

economically, and fi nancially sustainable. 

The success of the Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape 

and its long-term sustainability will depend 

in part on the degree and extent to which 

governments in the region commit 

human and allocate fi nancial resources to 

achieve marine conservation outcomes. 

In this aspect, national governments 

need to draw on the strengths of local 

governments while developing new forms 

of partnerships. 

To implement government commitments 

on the ground , an enabling framework of 

laws, ordinances, regulations and policies 

that facilitate marine  conservation have 

to be in place at the local levels. Coupled 

with this are personnel, infrastructure 

and equipment, to make the governance 

structures work eff ectively and effi

  ciently. 

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63

Tropical Coasts

Innovative ways of engaging the private sector 

to support marine and coastal conservation 

need to be explored while eff orts towards 

the recovery of threatened species vigorously 

pursued. 

Improving governmental and 

nongovernmental institutional capacities 

is a continuous process, linked to marine 

management interventions. To achieve 

convergence between conservation and 

economic development, a complex set 

of interventions need to be crafted while 

remaining cognizant of emerging economic 

opportunities. 

Reducing the threats to marine biodiversity 

is everyone’s concern. Public support can be 

achieved through a purposive communication 

and capacity-building programme for 

multistakeholders. 

Whatever interventions and initiatives would 

be taken by actors in coastal and marine 

conservation, the next phase  of the Sulu-

Sulawesi Seascape initiative entails that these 

be based on the achievements and lessons 

learned during the last three years. 

Box 3:  Goals and Plans for the Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape Project 

  

(2008-2011).

The workplan for 2008-2011 focuses on consolidating MPA networks 

with No Take Zones in three corridors and on ensuring compliance 

through strengthened enforcement and targeted outreach eff orts. A 

minimal investment will also be made at the Seascape-wide level to 

build political and fi nancial support for the work in the corridors and 

to strengthen the Seascape as a model for marine management in 

the Coral Triangle.

In the Verde Island Passage Corridor – to refi ne and implement a Verde 

Island Passage Framework Plan together with 21 municipalities and 

three provinces. The Framework Plan will allow for the creation of 

an MPA network of at least 10,000 ha with at least 1,000 ha of No 

Take Zones and one contiguous No Take Zone covering 1,000 ha. For 

the MPA network to be eff ective, CI and partners will build capacity 

of MPA managers and implement a comprehensive enforcement 

strategy. Also, CI will lead an outreach campaign to build support for 

the MPA network and the enforcement eff orts.

In the Cagayan Ridge Corridor – to consolidate an MPA network, 

including 97,000 ha of No Take Zones, that protects at least 

20 percent of critical habitats (coral reefs, seagrass beds and 

mangroves). CI and partners will train law enforcers, prosecutors 

and judges to make sure enforcement is eff ective from detection, 

to arrest, prosecution, and conviction. CI and partners will generate 

public support for existing MPAs and No Take Zones and strengthen 

enforcement through a targeted communication strategy 

and campaign including broad communication of successful 

prosecutions and convictions for environmental and fi sheries crimes.

In the Sea Turtle Corridor – to consolidate an MPA network, including 

at least 48,000 ha of No Take Zones, that protects sea turtles and 

their habitats. CI and partners will promote the development and 

implementation of management plans with clear MPA management 

objectives. Outside of MPAs, CI and partners will promote both 

Turtle Excluder Devices to reduce by-catch of threatened sea turtles 

in shrimp trawls and better joint enforcement to reduce the illegal 

sea turtle egg trade.

Seascape-wide – to generate political and public support for marine 

conservation in the corridors and to secure the Seascape as a model 

for ocean governance in the Coral Triangle, CI and partners will work 

with government offi

  cials and donor agencies to secure additional 

human and fi nancial resources for investments in the corridors 

and for priority activities in the Seascape, including strengthened 

enforcement from the Balabac Strait to Sabah, an area currently 

functioning as an entry point for poachers to gain access to MPAs in 

the Sulu and Sulawesi Seas. 

Source: CI, 2008.

References

Conservation International (CI). 2008. 

Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape. A New 

Future for Marine Conservation in 

the Coral Triangle, Conservation 

International, 15 May 2008. 

CI-Philippines. 2007. The Sulu-Sulawesi 

Seascape Congress Report: June 20-

22, 2007. CI-Philippines, Quezon City, 

Philippines.

Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral 

Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security 

(CTI-CFF). 2008. Regional Plan of 

Action, Honiara Draft. Adopted 

10 September 2008 at the Second 

Meeting of the CTI Coordination 

Committee in Honiara, Solomon 

Islands.

Global Environment Facility. 2008. The 

Coral Triangle Initiative: Program 

Framework Document. www.

gefweb.org/uploadedFiles/Projects/

Work_Programs/April_2008_Work_

Program/PFD%20Document%20

3647.pdf

---

Marine Protected Areas 

in the Sulu-Sulawesi 

Marine Ecoregion

R.A. Abesamis and P.M. Aliño

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

There were at least 352 marine 

protected areas (MPAs) established 

within the SSME in 2006.  Of these, 

343 are in the Philippines, 5 are in 

Indonesia, 3 are in Malaysia and 1 is 

jointly managed by the Philippines and 

Malaysia.  Twelve Priority Subregions 

(PSRs) were designated by grouping 

together highly-ranked priority 

conservation areas identifi ed for the 

Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion (SSME) 

(Stakeholders of the SSME, et al., 2004) 

and for the Philippines (Ong, et al., 

2002).  Two hundred seventy-four (274) 

of the 352 MPAs are located within the 

PSRs; of these, information on MPA size 

was available for 204 MPAs.  Based upon 

MPAs for which size information was 

available, only 0.94 percent of the total 

area within the 12 PSRs (447,548.6 km

2

) 

are within MPAs (4,198.2 km

2

).  Table 

1 presents the levels of management 

eff ectiveness for some MPAs as 

estimated by some key informants (as 

of 2006). 

Table 1.  Levels of management effectiveness for some MPAs    

               (estimate, as of 2006). 

Management

is effective

Management is

  well-implemented

Low or 

unknown

Total

Philippines

35

23

285

343

Indonesia

0

3

2

5

Malaysia

1

2

0

3

Turtle Islands 

jointly managed 

by Philippines 

and Malaysia

Malaysian 

Turtle Islands

0

Philippine 

Turtle 

Islands

1

352

    

Cumulative area protected by MPAs versus size of PSRs.*  

PSRs

Approximate 

PSR Size (ha)

MPAs with available 

data on size

Cumulative MPA 

Size (ha)

Area of PSR protected 

(percentage) 

1

1,137,700

6

16,813

1.48

2

2,012,803

2

575

0.03

3

2,327,732

1

48

 0.002     

4

    5,632,500

1

33,200

0.59

5

1,819,200

46

34,840

1.92

6

3,989,057

  127

22,834

0.57

7

11,072,851

11

11,299

0.10

8

493,017

(1)

no data

no data

9 A and B

4,651,800

4

211,552

4.65

10

3,283,100

4

1,319

0.04

11

8,335,100

2

89,080

1.07

Total

44,754,860

205*

419,819

0.94

*Total of 205 MPAs includes Balabac Island TZMR (Philippines) in PSR 8 for which no data on size is available.

Source: UPMSI MPA Database

 

Supplementary data from key informants (2006): R. Apostol, D. Baker, A. Bautista, R. Cortez, R. dela Calzada, M. 

Dygico, J. Ingles, D. Largo, C. Nañola Jr., J. Palma, J. Pontillas, A. Siahainenia, A. Songco and A. White.

    

References

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 Technical Report 

prepared by the 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.

Ong, P.S., L.E. Afuang, and R.G. Rosell-Ambal (eds.). 2002. 

Philippine Biodiversity Conservation Priorities: A 

second iteration of the National Biodiversity Strategy 

and Action Plan. Department of Environment and 

Natural Resources- Protected Areas and Wildlife 

Bureau, Conservation International Philippines, 

Biodiversity Conservation Program- University of 

the Philippines Center for Integrative Studies, and 

Foundation for the Philippine Environment, Quezon 

City, Philippines.

Stakeholders of the SSME, Technical Working Groups of 

Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, WWF-SSME 

Conservation Program. 2004. Conservation Plan for 

the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion. Dumaup, J.N.B., 

R.M. Cola, R.B. Trono, J.A. Ingles, E.F.B. Miclat and 

N.P. Ibuna (eds.). World Wide Fund for Nature-Sulu-

Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion Program, Quezon City, 

Philippines. 168 pp.