BAR TODAY || Official Quarterly Publication of the Bureau of Agricultural Research

Lessons from the coast
by Maria Rowena SA. Briones

January-March 2002
Volume 4 No. 1

The Philippines is not Pearl of the Orient Sea for nothing. This country is 12th among the top fish-producing countries in the world. Its 17,640 kilometers coastline and 220 million hectares of territorial waters boast of 450 corals and 2,300 fish species.

But, alarmingly, fish catch declines at about 4.3 percent annually despite efforts to increase fish production. Fisherfolks remain impoverished despite the bounty of their aquamarine resources.

These problems are not without causes. At the bottom are unscrupulous practices of those who extract resources from the sea. There is water pollution, water siltation and trawl, blast, fine mesh and cyanide fishing. Although there are fishing regulations, the implementation done by local government units is weak and ineffective.

These situations caused a paradigm shift in the orientation of coastal researches and projects. From focusing on increasing fish production, programs are now geared on empowering the people by involving them in the management, rehabilitation and conservation of coastal resources.

Initiatives are not anymore about how many tons of fish can be caught, but how many community members are able to upgrade their skills and share their knowledge and increase their participation.

Hence, there is a need for researches on socio-economic characteristics of coastal communities, how they manage their resources and what aspects need improvement and assistance from local government units and concerned civil sectors.

Somehow, poverty, policy failure and fishery resource degradation are intimately related. It is hoped that an effective and efficient resource management system that is integrative and participatory can end the vicious cycle of abuse and destitution in the coastal zones. Somehow, poverty, policy failure and fishery resource degradation are intimately related. It is hoped that an effective and efficient resource management system that is integrative and participatory can end the vicious cycle of abuse and destitution in the coastal zones.

The paper of Dr. Pepito Fernandez, Rodelio Subade and Yusaka Matsuda discussed the complex problems in Philippine coastal areas and the processes involved in establishing a system for coastal area management as shown in case studies in Banate Bay in Western Visayas and Batan Bay in Aklan. It hopes to give lessons drawn from the experiences of these coastal communities.
The resource management system in Banate Bay is more stable because of the participation of community members. They participated through their fishers' organizations and barangay and management councils.

The community members also received administrative, technical and financial support from government units, international organizations and the academe. However, the participation of the traders and other stakeholders which was still lacking would also help a lot since market scenarios also have to be considered.

The people residing in Banate Bay know the physical boundaries of their community. They have a sense of ownership, thus, a sense of responsibility and stewardship in the resources found in the area. Coordination among community members and avenues for dialogue are crucial factors in this process.

In the case of Batan Bay, there is cooperation and leadership at the community level that make the delegation of authority and the responsibilities fair and empowering for everybody. However, they have weak private sector participation and coordination among community members.

The participation of community members, especially the poor and marginalized, is important. Economic benefits and supplementary livelihood opportunities should also be provided to those adversely affected by conservation and management efforts to sustain genuine people's participation. Linkages with various organizations, whether private or public, make the improvement of the system and rehabilitation of the area easier than doing away with these partners.

These lessons can greatly help in improving the natural resource management in the Philippines in terms of focus, cohesion and strength. Well- managed fishery resources through co-management schemes among public and private stakeholders lead to economic progress and biodiversity conservation and protection.

Source: Fernandez, Pepito. "Coastal Area Governance System in the Philippines." Journal of Environment and Development. Vol. 9, No. 4. Dec. 2000