TropicalCoast 4th new indd

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 

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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.

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