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| Bacolod City, Philippines | Monday, November 21, 2011 |
| Successful In the preceding two columns, I mentioned that many successful conservation projects on marine biodiversity have been undertaken by local governments and local communities. Today, I would like to mention specific ones that have been judged successful, based primarily on the criteria of governance and improved biodiversity resources. These examples will serve to inspire our coastal communities to devote part of their free time in projects that conserve many of our vanishing species that are needed to combat poverty in our coastal areas. It only requires commitment and a caring attitude on the part of local government and local community organizations to save the species on which we depend so much for our food and livelihoods. At this point in the history of our nation when we are facing serious threats to the sustainability of our resources, we must practice conservation of our natural resources. One notable example is the St. Paul Underground River in Puerto Princesa on Palawan. Since 1992, this natural area has been protected and managed by the City Government of Puerto Princesa led by Mayor Ed Hagedorn. It was managed by the Protected Area and Wildlife Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) until I (as Secretary of the DENR) signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Mayor Hagedorn devolving the management of this unique site to the Local Government of Puerto Princesa. Under a local government with a good track record of environmental protection, the underground river was well managed as an ecotourism site, earning substantial incomes during the past 19 years. As a result of good management, it is likely to be included in the “Seven New Wonders of Nature Foundation” list of natural areas with unique features. Another notable example is the 16-year old Giant Clam Reserve at Cantaan, in Guinsiliban municipality on the island of Camiguin, off northern Mindanao. The reserve, which is small, about 5,800 m2 in area, is managed and protected by the Cantaan Multipurpose Cooperative led by Ms Alona Cordero. It is essentially a coral reef community with about 2,443 mature clams of six species, most of which are considered Endangered. The largest of these species is Tridacna gigas, the individuals of which are now more than 90 cm long and could weigh a hundred kilograms or more. Most of the restocked clams are sexually mature, and many of them are spawning and producing baby clams. There are probably more than 500 of the small clams. About 300 of them were introduced into a marine protected area in Dapitan City in 2010. This is the first report of restocked clams breeding naturally in a reserve. The clams have improved the coral reef structure of Cantaan. Again, here is a conservation project that is successful because of the initiative of an NGO, with the assistance of a private foundation, an academic institution and a foreign donor. The third example is a No-take Marine Reserve on the island of Mantigue, a small island off the town of Mahinog on the island of Camiguin. This reserve was established 11 years ago by the Municipal Government of Mahinog, which passed an ordinance setting up this small reserve. A small community of fishers on the island, aided by a Pew Fellowship grant to an academic institution, and the town and provincial officials, managed and protected the biodiversity and the fishery resources of the island. As evidence of the good protection, the fish biomass in the reserve became high, more than 100 tons/km2 in 2010. There is no doubt that the reserve exports adult fish and fish larvae to areas outside the reserve, thus helping to sustain small scale fisheries around the island. * |
| Environment ordinance The proposed ordinance of Negros Occidental Sangguniang Panlalawigan Member Emilio Yulo III requiring national government agencies and permit applicants to consult and secure an approval from concerned local government units before implementing projects, with potential ecological concerns in their areas, is a very important local legislation once approved and enacted. Local consultation and approval are actually requirements of numerous national guidelines pertaining to environment and natural resources management, and the proposed ordinance of Yulo, chairperson of the SP Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, will ensure participation of LGUs in decision-making processes of projects that may likely adversely affect the environment, such as mining and other extractive activities. The Environment Impact Assessment System and its associated implementing guidelines require consultation and endorsement by Local Government Units prior to the implementation of environmentally critical projects in their respective areas of jurisdiction. This is part of the social acceptability mechanism during the environment impact assessment stage of any proposed project falling under the EIA system, and a requirement before the issuance of the environmental compliance certificate for the said proposal by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The proposed ordinance of Yulo localizes the application of this requirement under the EIA System of the Philippines. It is also important to note that the proposal of Yulo is within the context of the Local Government Code and its relevant guidelines, particularly the Joint DENR – Department of Interior and Local Governments Memorandum Circular 2003 – 01 on the strengthening and institutionalizing the DENR-DILG-LGU partnership on devolved and other forest management functions. This guideline mandates pertinent DENR offices to submit comments by relevant LGUs on any application for tenure instruments, including resource extraction permits, before said instruments or permits are issued. The LGUs are given 15 days from the receipt of any application to submit comments to the DENR otherwise it will be presumed that the concerned LGUs fully endorse the said application. Section 7 of the Joint DENR – DILG MC further stipulates that if comments of LGUs are not solicited for a particular permit, specifically issued within the forestland, the said permit shall be reviewed and all activities in the subject area shall likewise be suspended, until such time that comments of concerned LGUs are received. The guideline further warned the community, provincial and regional personnel of the DENR to be administratively in the event they failed to solicit the comments of LGUs and gave due course to the processing of the application. The proposed provincial ordinance clearly supports the provision of the LGC for LGUs to share responsibility with the national government in maintaining ecological balance in their respective territorial jurisdictions. The Sangguniang Panlalawigan, for instance, is given the authority to enact ordinances in protecting the environment and impose appropriate penalties on acts which endanger the environment. DENR – DILG MC 2003 – 01 also provides opportunity for LGUs to participate in broader forest management functions through entering co-management agreement with the DENR. The co-management introduced in the guideline grants LGUs to manage identified forestlands covering even more than 30,000 hectares. Under this scheme, a management steering committee shall be organized to be responsible in policy and project development in forestlands subject of the agreement, with the concerned LGU chief executive and DENR representative as co-chair. The agreement shall clearly specify the roles, responsibilities and accountabilities of officers and organizations involve in the co-management. The participation of civil society groups and relevant government agencies is encouraged in the management steering committee. (Author’s note: This article is also available online at http://errolgatumbato.wordpress.com)* |
| Starlife | |
 Environment ordinance in Neg.Occ. proposed | |
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