Marine Conservation Efforts in the

Philippines
Hazel O. Arceo
Department of Biology and Environmental Science (DBES)
University of the Philippines Cebu, Lahug, Cebu Citu 1
Outline
• Overview of marine conservation
• Focus on marine protected areas
• Brief history
• Status and trends
• Revisiting targets and agenda
• Moving forward

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Philippines at the Center of Global Marine
Biodiversity
Marine Fish Hard Coral
Species Species
Diversity Diversity
Southeast Asia 2,500 400-500
Great Barrier 1,500 395
Reef
Caribbean 500-600 100-200
Sources: Chou 1997; Veron, 2001; and Williams, 2001.

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Biodiversity Loss: the Culprits

Photo by H.O.Arceo

Image source: https://www.britannica.com/science/biodiversity#ref343143

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Marine Conservation
• Protecting all levels of
biodiversity
o Genetic
o Species
o Ecosystem
• Maintaining ecological
processes
• Sustaining ecosystem
services
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Protecting all levels of Coral polyp

diversity:
o Genetic
▪ Coral propagation through sexual Coral colony
reproduction
o Species and Populations
▪ Establishment of hatcheries and
nurseries
o Ecosystem Coral reef

▪ Placing coral reefs under legal

protection
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▪ Coral reef restoration
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Marine Conservation Strategies
• Restoration
o Species restoration (e.g., restocking, nurseries, etc.)
o Habitat restoration (e.g., mangrove reforestation, coral transplantation,
artificial reefs, etc.)
• Species-specific management regimes
o E.g., cetaceans, sea turtles, sharks, etc.)
• Spatial management
• Integrated management (e.g., ICM, EAFM, Ridge-to-Reef)
• Education/awareness campaigns
• Policies/legislation
• Networking and partnerships

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 Captive Hatcheries
Breeding Nurseries Restocking

Image sources:
Left: “Crocodile hatch-lings” by shankar s., CC BY 2.0 via flickr
Center: Pawikan Conservation Center, Morong, Bataan by Ramon FVelasquez, CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported via Wikimedia Commons
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Right: “Bolinao Giant Clam Sanctuary” by Froirivera, CC BY-SA 4.0 International via Wikimedia Commons
 Habitat Restoration/Rehabilitation

Image credit: ZSL Philippines (https://www.zsl.org/conservation/regions/asia/rehabilitating-mangroves-in-the-philippines)

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 Integrated Management
Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) Ridge-to-Reef Framework

Source: EcoGov[a]. Ridge-to-Reef Approach to Addressing Climate Change (Leaflet). Philippine

Environmental Governance Project. Pasig City: Philippines.

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 Policies/Legislation
11

• Local
o Ordinances, resolutions, special agreements
• National
o E.g., Republic Acts, Presidential Proclamations,
Department Administrative Orders
• International
o E.g., Treaties, agreements, conventions

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 Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (TRNP)
• First Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) in
Southeast Asia
• Declared in July 2017 by the IMO but application
was pursued starting in 2012
• Protection measure: area to be avoided (ships are
required to deviate from course)

Photo by q phia, CC BY 2.0 Generic via flickr

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 Spatial Management

Coastal zoning, fisheries management areas,

fishery closures, MPAs, etc.

Source: CRM Plan of Poro, Cebu DA-PRDP GEF MPA Summit I 25 October 2022 13
 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)

Photo by H.O.Arceo

“A clearly defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated and managed, through

legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with
associated ecosystem services and cultural values” (IUCN 2008)

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 Fishery Benefits of MPAs

Heffman et al. (2009) Diversity of Fishes 15

 Brief 2000’s: LGU-managed MPAs
Late 2000’s-2010’s: MPA networks

History 2018: Enactment of E-NIPAS Act

(RA 11038)

1980’s-90’s: Community-based MPA initiatives

1988: Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park
1991: Local Government Code (RA 7160)
1992: Enactment of NIPAS Act (RA 7586)

1978: Establishment of Tourist Zones and Marine Reserves (PP 1801)

1981: Establishment of Wilderness Areas (PP 2151)
Mangrove Swamp Forest Reserves (PP 2152)

1974: Sumilon Island Marine Reserve

1940: Hundred Islands National Park

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Image credits: Hundred Islands National Park by Elmer nev valenzuela, CC BY-SA 4.0; Apo Island by Mike (TheCoffee), CC BY-SA 3.0; Sumilon IIsland by Mr.siwabud Veerapaisarn via https://www.dreamstime.com/
Status and Trends
• Over 1,800 existing MPAs in the country (Cabral et al. 2014)

• Increasing sizes over time

1000 2000
800 2007
2020
600
No. of MPAs

400

200

0
0-0.1 0.11-1 1.1-10 10.1-100 100+
Area (sq. km.) Arceo et al. (in prep)

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Ensuring MPA Management Effectiveness
Administration
• Supported by a municipal ordinance
• MPA management plan adopted
• Functional management body with clear roles and
responsibilities and regular meetings

Enforcement
• Functional enforcement group
• Compliance structures, e.g.
guardhouse, marker buoys
Photos by H.O.Arceo

• Regular guarding
• Violations monitoring

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Ensuring MPA Management Effectiveness
Communications Program
• Clear communications plans

Capacity-building
• Relevant trainings to improve competence
• Training of second-liners

Photos by H.O.Arceo
Sustainable Financing
• Fund generation/sourcing
• Financial management system

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Regular
• Linked to planning and incentive system
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 Revisiting Targets
Philippine Marine
Sanctuary
Strategy
(PhilMarSaSt)
The Vision
Sustainable development
of coastal and marine
ecosystems, equitably
providing life-giving benefits
to happy communities
The Strategy
Placing 15% of municipal waters under protection by:
• Enhancing the planning, establishment and
implementation process;
• Integrating the adaptive management cycle
through MERFS into ICM
• Sustaining efforts by institutionalizing the network
linkages of people and ecosystems and the “learning
by doing” process in order to maintain the good
coastal ecosystems by 2020;
• Achieving the PhilMarSaSt target of fully attaining the
sustainable development of coastal and marine
ecosystems by 2050.
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 The 5-Point MPA Agenda
1. Working for more effective MPAs facilitated under a National Coral Reef
Management Strategy
2. Advocating for at least one MPA per coastal municipality integrated into
coastal and land use development plans
3. Facilitate comparable (if not common) monitoring and evaluation methods
linked to capacity-building for enhanced cost-effectiveness of MPA benefits
4. Developing criteria for “successful” MPAs to popularize the lessons learned
and lead to a harmonized vision of coral reef management
5. Looking at how MPAs fit into the bigger picture of people and nature

Arceo et al. (2007)

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 The 5-Point MPA Agenda

1. Working for more effective MPAs facilitated under the Philippine

Management Sanctuary Strategy (PhilMarSaSt)

• Increasing number of MPAs over the years

o Establishment of new MPAs; better documentation

• Shift in modal range of MPA sizes to larger areas

(i.e. from 1-10 has. to 11-100 has.)
• Enhancing capacity of MPA managers through
networking, development of toolkits, short-term
trainings and formal professional courses

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Networking to
improve linkages
between science &
management

Home of Marine Ecosystems (BRING HOME)

Home of People and Ecosystems (BRING HOPE)

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MPA and MPA Network Toolkits

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DA-PRDP GEF MPA Summit I 25 October 2022 25
• PM TMEM Expertise
• Science based management
• Practical tools & decision support
• Professionals in addressing
effective coastal & marine
governance
• Nationally and Global

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 The 5-Point MPA Agenda

2. Advocating for at least one MPA per coastal municipality/city

integrated into coastal, land and water use development plans

• 590 coastal municipalities/cities in 64

provinces
o from 276 in 2000 and 415 in 2007
• CRM as a basic service by the LGU (EO 533)
• Integrating MPAs into higher development
plans (e.g. ICM, CCA, CLWUP)
• Increased recognition of good performance

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 The Philippine MPA
Database

Currently being validated

LGUs, we need your help!

http://www.database.mpasupportnetwork.com/ 28
 Watch out
for the
Launching of
the Para El
MAR 2023 in
November!

Expanding recognition to:

• MPA networks (2013)
1st Virtual Event in 2021
• NIPAS (2017)
• Mangrove Protection (2019)
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 The 5-Point MPA Agenda

3. Facilitate comparable monitoring and evaluation methods linked

to adaptive management and capacity-building

• Standardizing M&E methods through the

trainings and toolkits
• At least >310 with reef M&E information
o 65 in 2007
• State of the Coasts and MPA Forum as
and opportunity for feedbacking and
sharing of M&E results

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Reporting and Feedback

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Linking M&E with Incentive Systems
AWARDS TYPES SITES
Outstanding Bantay Dagat Individual Cortes, Surigao del Sur
BRAVO Awards MPA Batangas
STAR Awards MPA Oriental Mindoro
Seal of Environmental Private, Negros Occidental
Governance Companies, LGUs,
Academe, POs
Cleanest Coastal Community LGU and MPA Misamis Occidental
Para El MAR: MPA Awards MPA and Networks Nationwide (MSN)
and Recognition
MMK Municipality/City Nationwide (BFAR)

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 The 5-Point MPA Agenda
4. Developing criteria for “successful” MPAs to popularize the
lessons learned and lead to a harmonized vision of coral reef
management

• Evaluation criteria (refined and

used for the MSN MPA Awards)
• Documentation and promotion of
good practices
• Enhancing current evaluation tools
with good governance indicators

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 The 5-Point MPA Agenda

5. Looking at how MPAs fit into the bigger picture of people and
nature

• Planning for MPAs with a climate change lens

• MPA networking approach
• Ecosystem-based management (e.g. Marine Key Biodiversity
Areas, inter-LGU alliances, etc.)
• Ridge-to-Reef framework
• Fisheries Management Areas (FMAs)
• Protecting offshore biodiversity

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 From single MPAs to networks
• Protection of larger areas of threatened and critical
marine habitats
oAddresses issues on MPAs scale and size

• Sustaining fisheries production that benefits both fisheries

and conservation
• Adoption of a more holistic and integrated framework

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• Pagasa Island (Thitu Island)
• Likas Island (West York Island)
• Parola Island (Northeast Cay)
• Lawak Island (Nanshan Island)
• Kota Island (Loaita Island)
Reefs in the West Philippine Sea
• ~600-1000 km2 coral reef area in the KIG (Aliño and
Quibilan 2003); 30% of the total reef area in the
Philippines (Ong et al. 2002)
• High fisheries productivity (Alino et al. 2004; Arceo et al.
2020)
Photos by H.O.Arceo
• Patag Island (Flat Island)
• Panata Island (Lankiam Cay)
• Balagtas Reef (Irving Reef)
• Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal)
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 Philippine (Benham) Rise
• A 13-million hectare underwater plateau located off
Aurora Province
• Confirmed as part of the Philippine’s continental
shelf in 2012 under UNCLOS
• Established as the Philippine Rise Marine Resource
Reserve (PRMRR) in 2018

Screenshots from BRUVS

(Secure PH Project)
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Moving Forward
• Addressing MPA gaps
o In space: size and sites
o In time: sustaining management
effectiveness
• Enhancing capacity building and
M&E programs
o Linking M&E to incentive systems for good
performance and adaptive
management
• Collaborating for integration and
synergy
o Networking approach
o Planning for threats beyond MPA
boundaries → MPAs in a changing world
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"Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by
your parents, it was loaned to you by your
children. We do not inherit the Earth from our
Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children.”

-Ancient Indian Proverb

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THANK YOU !

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