TropicalCoast 4th new indd

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July 2008

Many partnerships have been born. Others have worked. Some are still trying. 

Biodiversity conservation of the Sulu-Sulawesi Seas (SSS) requires the coordination of complex 

interrelationships among diverse stakeholders across sectoral and geo-political boundaries. Like 

the vast waters of the SSS that mediate complex interactions among diverse marine organisms, 

partnerships in this large marine ecosystem, which spans nearly a million square kilometers of the 

Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, have resulted in many lessons.

Building an alliance of 

partners 

An alliance of partners to 

implement the Sulu-Sulawesi 

Seascape (SSS) Initiative’s detailed 

implementation plan has been 

engaged

*

 and mobilized  by 

Conservation International (CI). The 

alliance included government and 

nongovernmental organizations 

(NGOs), academic institutions, 

and experts at the local, national 

and regional levels. Engaged as 

co-implementers through grant 

agreements or operating with their 

own resources, partners implemented 

projects consistent with the SSS 

conservation campaign.

In the process of developing 

partnerships, a series of 

multisectoral planning workshops 

were conducted to identify marine 

conservation concerns in the 

Verde Island Passage, Cagayan 

Ridge, Balabac Strait, and the 

Sea Turtle Conservation Corridor 

that originates south of Balabac 

and span the east of Sabah and 

East Kalimantan, Indonesia. 

In addition, a seascape-wide 

consultation and communication 

strategy development workshop 

was organized, which resulted 

in the identification of various 

needs-based interventions,the 

preparation of perception maps 

(Figures 1-5 present various 

perception maps for the Verde 

Island Passage), and the allocation 

of roles, responsibilities, funding 

and expertise among partners 

to match each identified need. 

Convergence meetings provided 

venues for project partners and 

stakeholders to present, exchange 

and validate information on 

Partnerships at Work in the 

Seas of Sulu and Sulawesi

By    Sheila Vergara, Rina Maria P. Rosales, Miledel Quibilan, Nancy Ibuna, Hubert Froyalde, Rochelle Villanueva, and 

        William Azucena

threats, species conservation 

concerns and locate marine 

protected areas based on 

collected scientific information. 

These meetings also served as 

mid-project assessments and 

allowed for necessary changes in 

implementation strategies.   

The Seascape Congress organized 

in June 2007 was an opportunity 

for stakeholders and project 

implementers to share results 

and lessons learned and plan 

the future of the Sulu-Sulawesi 

Seascape. The Congress was 

participated in by 119 partners 

and stakeholders representing 

national and local governments, 

academic, nongovernmental, 

community and private 

organizations, and marine 

conservation alliances. The 

Congress contributed to the Verde 

Passage Framework Plan, as well 

as plans for the Cagayan Ridge, 

Balabac Strait and the Sea Turtle 

conservation corridor.

*  The term “engaged” used in this article 

refers to formal engagements such 

as a grant agreement, Memorandum 

of Understanding, Memorandum of 

Agreement, service contract, consultancy 

contract, and thesis grant, consistent with 

CI’s process of engaging partners.  

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Tropical Coasts

In summary, through partner 

engagements, 37 grants 

to 32 institutions totaling 

US$1,443,808.46 were shared 

with partners through the SSS 

initiative.  The external grants 

portfolio was managed by CI-

Philippines’ Fundraising and Grant 

Management Unit with technical 

oversight from the SSS programme 

staff and the Finance Unit.  The 

various modes and levels of 

engagement required an in depth 

knowledge of the capabilities of 

prospective partners to undertake 

and contribute to the plan, a 

knowledgeable and committed staff 

and in-house facility to manage 

both programmatic and financial 

deliverables of each partner-

grantee.

Partnerships in 

Governance 

The Tubbataha Protected Area 

Management Board ( TPAMB) 

is an interagency and multi-

sectoral forum, which collectively 

reviewed and provided input to 

the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park 

Bill. The bill aims to ensure the 

protection and conservation of the 

park’s reefs through sustainable and 

participatory management.   

Indicators of the strength of a 

partnership approach in the Sulu-

Sulawesi also include the technical 

and logistical support provided 

to the Bantay Dagat (Seawatch) 

for surveillance, monitoring 

Figure 1. Fisheries Perception Map of the Verde Island Passage Marine Biodiversity Conservation Corridor.

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14

July 2008

and enforcement of laws and 

regulations. The Municipality of 

Tingloy in Batangas was able to 

improve apprehension rates of 

fishers using compressors and spear 

guns as well as divers who refuse to 

pay for diving passes. Other illegal 

activities such as “muro-ami” fishing 

were also deterred.

At the regional level, the Tri-

National Committee for the Sulu-

Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion, with 

Figure 2. Marine Habitat Perception Map for the Verde Island Passage MBCC.

the support of CI-Philippines, 

facilitated the development of 

the GEF-UNDP Sulu-Celebes Sea 

Large Marine Ecosystem and 

Adjacent Area Sustainable Fisheries 

Management Project, proposed 

under the GEF Coral Triangle 

Initiative Program. The project, 

which has potential funding for 

three years, was endorsed by the 

Governments of Indonesia and the 

Philippines and has been cleared by 

the GEF Secretariat.

Partnerships with the 

Private Sector

First Gas, First Philippine 

Conservation, Inc. and CI have 

forged a partnership that is 

implementing initiatives on Verde 

Island, Tingloy and Apo Reef. In 

addition, workshops entitled, 

“Engaging the Private Sector in 

Marine Conservation: Developing 

Partnerships” have been organized to 

raise the awareness of conservation 

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