8
July 2008
A reorganization in the Cabinet
resulted in the designation of a new
Secretary to the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources
(DENR), the lead agency in the country
for the SSME.
These changes resulted in a
cumulative effect, slowing down of
the ratification of the MOU in each
country and the subsequent delay
in the formation of the Tri-National
Committee. Nonetheless, the ability
of the countries to move forward
with the SSME process, in spite of
interruptions, is evidence of the spirit
of cooperation which has been built
around the Sulu-Sulawesi tri-national
initiative.
The role of the nongovernmental
organizations in SSME governance
building is noteworthy. The World
Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), through
its SSME Programme, played a
critical role in the formation of the
Tri-National Committee in 2006. The
WWF SSME Directorate/Coordination
Unit, served as the secretariat of the
Preparatory Committee for SSME.
Conservation International (CI), on
the other hand, has played a major
supporting role to strengthen the
Tri-National Committee since its
formation. CI also significantly
and actively contributed to the
implementation of the ECP through
the implementation of its Sulu-
Sulawesi Seascape Project, in
partnership with the SSME countries
(See Box 4). The purposeful role
of NGOs is demonstrated by the
membership of CI and WWF in the
Tri-National Committee and its
subcommittees.
Box 4. Partnerships across political boundaries for global biodiversity.
In 2005, the Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape (SSS) Project was launched by Conservation
International (CI) to protect critical species and habitats in the marine biodiversity
conservation corridors of Verde Passage, Cagayan Ridge, Balabac Strait and the Tri-National
Sea Turtle Corridor, through partnership with major stakeholders in Indonesia, Malaysia
and the Philippines.
Using marine protected area (MPA) as the basic conservation and resource management
tool, work in the SSS Project involves strengthening existing MPAs, establishment of new
sites, and designing scientifi cally-based networks of MPAs. The SSS Project also involves
implementation of conservation interventions, including law enforcement enhancement,
capacity building of stakeholders, sustainable fi nancing, policy review and formulation,
and necessary information, education and communications (IEC) activities in the marine
biodiversity conservation corridors. Parallel to these are seascape-wide development of
strategies for law enforcement, capacity enhancement, IEC, private sector engagement and
policy formulations related to fi sheries, oil and gas, and ecotourism.
These interventions are geared towards a desired long-term outcome of conserving the
full range of biodiversity in the Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape. They are coupled with research
through a consortium of partners to provide a scientifi c basis for conservation and
management and the implementation of sustainable strategies in critical marine corridors.
The CI-SSS Project contributes to the implementation of the Ecoregion Conservation Plan
(ECP) for Sulu-Sulawesi Seas. The project is hinged on the tri-national vision of biodiversity
conservation and sustainable development through partnerships across political
boundaries. The project enables direct participation in forming and strengthening the
governance for the seascape through CI’s membership in the Tri-National Committee of the
ECP and in its three subcommittees.
Source: CI-Philippines, 2007.
While the Tri-National Committee
welcomes NGO representation and
participation, it must be emphasized
that governments expect NGOs to
observe and remain respectful of
protocols for intergovernmental
meetings and cooperation
mechanisms that the SSME upholds.
The Tri-National Committee is a
new mechanism for regional seas
governance and thus has new
requirements for capacity building
and networking. It is important to
reiterate the need for the committee
to link to the structure of a higher,
politically stable body (Lejano, 2006).
Regional programmes and bodies such
as the BIMP-EAGA
3
, PEMSEA
4
, ASEAN
5
,
have noted with interest the progress
made by the Sulu-Sulawesi tri-
national initiative. The Coral Triangle
Initiative (CTI), which is a partnership
of six countries (Indonesia, Malaysia,
Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the
Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste),
sees the case of SSME as a model
in seascape development. A fully
functional Tri-National Committee
can effectively implement the ECP
and can be an important vehicle in
enhancing the implementation of
regional and international instruments
and conventions for conservation and
sustainable development in the seas
of East Asia through the Sustainable
Development Strategy for the Seas of
East Asia or SDS-SEA (PEMSEA, 2003),
Convention on Biological Diversity
(CBD), and Chapter 17 of Agenda 21,
UNCED (1992).
New Opportunities
Wherein existing bilateral and
multilateral platforms in the region
3
Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-
Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area or
BIMP-EAGA
4
Partnerships in Environmental
Management for the Seas of East Asia
5
Association of Southeast Asian Nations