Recent Advances in the Management of Marine Protected Areas in the Philippines

This study presents recent advances in the management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Philippine from the mid-1970s, when the first MPA was established, to the present. At present, there are over 1300 established and proposed MPAs in the country. More than 50% of these are less than 10ha in size. As a result, less than 2% of the country’s reef areas are under some level of protection, which is believed to be too low for protective measures to have an impact. In terms of management, only 10-15% of established MPAs are effectively managed. Several challenges are posed by these major shortcomings. Two approaches have recently been initiated to address these. The MPA Support Network (MSN) was recently established to link various efforts and initiatives in managing MPAs in the different regions of the country. There are also recent efforts of developing schemes for truly science-based establishment of MPA networks

Valuing and Managing the Philippines’ Marine Resources toward a Prosperous Ocean-Based Blue Economy

The ocean-based “blue economy” is a significant part of the Philippine economy that has largely been taken for granted despite its enormous potential. It is of critical importance to a substantial segment of our population dependent on the seas and coastal resources for their livelihood and sustenance, appreciably enlarge the country’s wealth, and significantly contribute to its gross domestic product. This paper attempts to review the major issues concerning marine ecosystems in relation to the country’s pursuit of the blue economy. It discusses the economic and social activities in relation to the seas and coastal areas, and provides updated estimates of the real value of the country’s marine ecosystems’ goods and services. Based on primary and available secondary data, the marine ecosystems (excluding the continental shelf) can contribute a conservative monetary value of US$ 966.6 billion to the economy. In light of the risks and threats to the blue economy, the paper further discusses the country’s current national initiatives and involvement in regional collaborations toward ensuring its health and sustainable development. Given the Philippines’ vast largely untapped potential, a recommendation for the creation of a Department of Marine Resources, separate from the Department of Agriculture, seems in order

Siting marine protected areas based on habitat quality and extent provides the greatest benefit to spatially structured metapopulations

Connectivity and its role in the persistence and sustainability of marine metapopulations are attracting increased attention from the scientific community and coastal resource managers. Whether protection should prioritize the connectivity structure or demographic characteristics of a given patch is still unclear. We design a three-stage population model to analyze the relative importance of sources, sinks, quality and extent of juvenile and adult habitat, and node centralities (eigenvector, degree, closeness, and betweenness) as a basis for prioritizing sites. We use a logistic-type stage-structured model to describe the local dynamics of a population with a sessile adult stage and network models to elucidate propagule-exchange dynamics. Our results show that the coupled states of habitat extent and quality, which determine population carrying capacity, are good criteria for protection strategy. Protecting sites on the basis of sources, sinks, or other centrality measures of connectivity becomes optimal only in limited situations, that is, when larval production is not dependent on the adult population. Our findings are robust to a diverse set of larval pathway structures and levels of larval retention, which indicates that the network topology may not be as important as carrying capacity in determining the fate of the metapopulation. Protecting extensive, good quality habitat can help achieve both conservation and fisheries objectives

Evaluating management performance of marine protected area networks in the Philippines

In the Philippines, formation of MPA networks is seen as a means to improve management of existing MPAs by forging collaborative partnerships among local governments to coordinate initiatives and share information and resources. Although forging partnerships is widely advocated because of the beliefs of the benefits it brings, there is very little empirical evidence about the management performance of MPA networks, and the extent to which networks enhance the management of individual MPAs. In this paper, we present measures of the management performance of collaborative partnerships to coordinate management of MPA networks. To evaluate performance of MPA networks managed by multiple governance units, we used a combination of quantitative and qualitative survey tools (e.g. performance assessment tools, interviews, perception surveys), and synthesized the results using a scoring rubric and analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. We evaluated three MPA networks in the Philippines with different sizes, histories, and objectives to test our research methods. We found that our approach improved overall evaluation of the performance of MPA networks and individual MPAs. Moreover, our analysis for each MPA network showed different combinations of outcomes, highlighting the importance of using a suite of research methods and tools. We found that MPA networks furthered the development and effectiveness of spatial management in the Philippines. However, the objectives of the collaborative partnerships, their histories, and the diversity and complexity of governance (e.g. more diverse interests with increasing number of participating institutions) had a mixed effect on the management of networks and of individual MPAs. The outcomes of this research provide an approach to evaluating management performance that can facilitate the establishment and strengthening of MPA networks in areas similar to the Philippines with multiple governance units and complex social, economic, and political contexts

Marine protected area networks in the Philippines: trends and challenges for establishment and governance

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are the most extensively implemented fisheries management and conservation tool in the Philippines. Most MPAs have been established and managed by communities together with local governments in a variety of community-based and co-management schemes. This approach has proven successful in gaining community acceptance and achieving local-scale fisheries and conservation objectives. However, the contribution of these MPAs to ecologically connected networks of MPAs is variable since most MPAs were not designed to be parts of networks. Nevertheless, there is growing support for the development of MPAs within the national integrated coastal management framework which supports the "scaling up" of MPAs to establish networks. Scaling up in the Philippine context is achieved by forging inter-institutional collaboration among neighboring local governments (i.e. village to provincial level), with the assistance of other institutions such as non-government organizations, academe, government agencies, and development partners including donors. Herein we review the history of MPAs in the Philippines and the development of inter-institutional collaborations and present examples of scaling up of MPAs to form networks. To further the establishment of social and ecological MPA networks in the Philippines, we describe approaches to forming MPA networks and discuss the fundamental elements of successful collaborative partnerships

Influence of governance context on the management performance of marine protected area networks

In the Philippines, networks of marine protected areas (MPAs) are more complex than individual MPAs, primarily due to involvement of multiple governance units. Hence, there is a need to understand the influence of governance context of networks on management performance. We addressed this need indirectly by evaluating the participation of network members and the governance capacity of three MPA networks with varying sizes, histories, and compositions of local governments and constituencies. We defined participation as the involvement of local governments and other stakeholders in decision-making processes. We defined governance capacity as the ability to govern interactions of social, economic, and political processes and dynamics in a political unit. We used qualitative, semi-structured key informant interviews and focus group discussions to ascertain whether participation and governance capacity are influenced by network size, institutional arrangements, and social and political contexts. We found that the sizes of the MPA networks did not affect participation and governance capacity. Instead, participation and capacity were influenced by institutional arrangements and the socioeconomic and political contexts of the local governments involved. We found that less complicated network objectives and systems for engagement, more inclusive membership, better communication, incentive systems, and strong leadership enhanced participation and governance capacity

Influence of governance context on the management performance of marine protected area networks

In the Philippines, networks of marine protected areas (MPAs) are more complex than individual MPAs, primarily due to involvement of multiple governance units. Hence, there is a need to understand the influence of governance context of networks on management performance. We addressed this need indirectly by evaluating the participation of network members and the governance capacity of three MPA networks with varying sizes, histories, and compositions of local governments and constituencies. We defined participation as the involvement of local governments and other stakeholders in decision-making processes. We defined governance capacity as the ability to govern interactions of social, economic, and political processes and dynamics in a political unit. We used qualitative, semi-structured key informant interviews and focus group discussions to ascertain whether participation and governance capacity are influenced by network size, institutional arrangements, and social and political contexts. We found that the sizes of the MPA networks did not affect participation and governance capacity. Instead, participation and capacity were influenced by institutional arrangements and the socioeconomic and political contexts of the local governments involved. We found that less complicated network objectives and systems for engagement, more inclusive membership, better communication, incentive systems, and strong leadership enhanced participation and governance capacity