In country
Cebu town commended for its Adopt a Bay project
The Provincial Board of Cebu recently commended the municipal government
of Talisay for taking part in the Philippine Navy's "Adopt
a Bay" project.
In a resolution dated October 11, 1999, the Board cited the Talisay
government's agreement with various partners, saying it will "serve
as the binding pact of all the parties involved to provide environmental
protection, conservation, and rehabilitation services" to its coastal
areas. Such partners include the Department
of Environment and Natural Resources-Region 7 (DENR-7), Philippine
Navy's Naval Forces Central, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-Region
7, CRMP, I Love the Ocean
Movement and the House of Representatives through Deputy House Speaker
Eduardo Gullas.
36,000 sign petition for watershed protection
About 36,000 people in Cebu and the neighboring urban and urbanizing
areas signed a petition for the protection of Mananga and Kotkot-Lusaran
watersheds. The signatures will be used to persuade legislators to ratify
the protected area status of the two watershed forest reserves, said
Aida Granert of the Soil and Water Conservation Foundation (SWCF).
The petition asks Cebu legislators to sponsor a bill in Congress confirming
the protected area status of the two watersheds as well as two national
parks, Sudlon and Central Cebu. It wants Cebu leaders to prevent further
encroachment on the protected areas and disallow the designation of
built-up zones inside the watersheds and national parks. A built-up
zone is an area open to residential and commercial development.
The two watersheds have been declared, through separate presidential
proclamations, as protected areas, but Congress has to confirm the declaration
so that these watersheds will become components of the National Integrated
Protected Areas System (NIPAS).
Granert said her group intends to gather a million signatures.
Meanwhile, the University of San Carlos-Water Resources Center (USC-WSC)
asked communities inside the Mananga watershed to build gabion dams
to trap river silt. Gabion dams, which are built on the riverbed, are
made of rocks held together by interlinked wire. It traps silt and prevents
it from running downstream.
Silt that runs off from the river to the sea damages corals and other
marine habitats.
Eleven gabion dams have so far been build by communities living inside
the watershed. LAP in Sun.Star
Daily, 1.15.00
Fishpond operators seek policy changes
Accusing the government of "apathy", a group of fishpond operators
called for changes in government policies protecting mangrove areas
from conversion to fishponds and other uses.
The group said the government is delaying the release of documents proving
that some mangrove areas are suitable and available for fishpond operation,
a requisite for the awarding of fishpond leases. They complained about
the slow resolution of fishpond conflicts and cases; restrictions on
the use of pesticides that are used in the elimination of destructive
shells and predators in fishponds; suspension of loans from the Development
Bank of the Philippines since the early 1980s for those without collateral;
and unabated entry of fish and other marine products from other countries.
They are asking the government to exempt fishponds from the Comprehensive
Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), condone unpaid rentals for fishponds
destroyed by natural calamities, and restore sales patents on developed
fishponds.
The group railed against "self-proclaimed environmentalists who
want to turn fishponds into mangrove forests," saying the idea
is "preposterous, if not grossly unfair and confiscatory, since
it will be the virtual death of the fishpond industry."
"For 1998, the aquaculture industry produced 950,680 metric tons
valued at Php26 billion. To discourage aquaculture and for the government
to adhere to [its policy of reverting] fishponds to mangrove forests
will result in another economic debacle for our country," they
said.
The Philippines' "Blue Revolution" in the 1970s converted
more than 200,000 hectares of mangroves to fishponds, mainly for prawn
and milkfish production. Many of these fishponds were abandoned in the
late 1980s, when the export market for farmed prawn suffered a slump.
Subsequent studies showed that the destruction of mangrove forests to
make way for fishpond development resulted in tremendous losses to the
national economy, and that mangrove forests can support more than 600
kg per hectare per year of natural fish production in the nearshore
waters. The government has since adopted a policy of reverting abandoned
fishponds to their natural state, and preventing the conversion of mangrove
forests to fishpond and other uses. With reports
from Cebu Daily News, 1.3.00.
Illegal fishing down 70% -- Bantay Dagat
The Cebu City Bantay Dagat Commission claims illegal fishing in and
around Cebu's waters fell 70% in the last three years.
Bantay Dagat project director Elpidio dela Victoria, in a yearly report
to the City Press and Information Office, said that this is based on
the reduced volume of dynamited or poisoned fish confiscated by law
enforcers.
Dela Victoria noted that in 1997, the commission seized more than 26,500
kg of dynamited fish. The volume dropped to 22,700 kg in 1998, and to
only 8,890 kg in 1999. About 240 illegal fishers were arrested during
the three-year period. GRA in Sun.Star
Daily, 1.17.00
Overseas
FAO has new on-line publications catalogue
The FAO electronic publications catalogue has been relaunched on the
FAO Web site in a new
and more accessible version. The redesigned on-line catalogue comes
with an improved search engine based on new and more detailed search
criteria. Publications are presented - and can be sought - by title,
publication year, language, series number and price. This will make
it easier for the user to find and order one of the more than 7,000
titles available.
The catalogue includes more book reviews and new publications are highlighted
on the site. Information is updated daily. It is a source of reference
for experts and lay people, farmers and trainers, booksellers and librarians.
It is currently available in English, French and Spanish. An Arabic
version is under preparation.
European Council adopts 2000 guide prices
for fishery products
The European Council has adopted its annual guide prices for fresh and
frozen fisheries products, as well as for tuna for processing for 2000.
The price trend was positive in 1999 for white fish for which the demand
on international markets has significantly increased. The situation,
however, was not as good for some pelagic species, especially for herring
and mackerel, which still suffer from a fall in demand. These, along
with tuna and anchovy, will be affected by a slight price reduction.
The guide prices system aims to help secure producers income by contributing
to the stabilization of prices in order to ensure stable and balanced
development to enhance the competitiveness of Community fishery businesses
on the world markets. The prices are based on Member States' average
market prices over the previous three years. Other important factors
include changes in production levels (quotas) and market demand. Great
attention is also paid to the need to avoid the creation of fish surpluses
that have to be withdrawn from the market. (Full
story and guide prices).
CRMP News
Provincial Board declares CRMP Chief of Party
"adopted daughter" of Cebu
The Provincial Board of Cebu declared CRMP <link to About Us>Chief
of Party Catherine A. Courtney as an "adopted daughter of the Province
of Cebu."
In a resolution dated January 24, 2000, the Board cited Courtney for
her efforts in promoting coastal resource management in the Philippines.
A biologist and oceanographer, Courtney has more than 17 years of experience
in the design, implementation and management of environmental projects
and marine and industrial environmental research. She has lived in Cebu
since 1996, where she heads CRMP, a seven-year (1996-2002) technical
assistance project of the DENR
funded by the United States Agency for International Development.
oneocean.org, Olango ecotourism project
named
Anvil Awards finalists
CRMP's website, www.oneocean.org
and enterprise project, the Olango Birds and Seascape Tour, are among
this year's finalists for the 35th Anvil Awards.
The Olango Birds and Seascape Tour is a community-based ecotourism project
designed to provide alternative income opportunities for communities
living near the Olango
Island Wildlife Sanctuary while protecting the delicate ecosystems
that support nearly 100 species of birds, about half of which are migratory
species traveling the important East Asian flyway. Olango Island is
the first Ramsar site of the Philippines.
The Anvil Awards is considered the "Oscars" of public relations
in the Philippines. The Awards Night will be held on February 18 at
Hotel Inter-Continental Manila.
The trophy at left represents
the Anvil Award of Merit
given to CRMP in 1999 for its contribution to
the
observance of the International Year of the Ocean
1998 and the
promotion of coastal resource management.
In 1998, Kapitan Barongoy, a joint production of CRMP and GMA-7, was
named Best Radio Drama Series, Provincial Category by the Kapisanan
ng Mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas (Association of Broadcasters of the Philippines)
Also that year, CRMP's involvement in the International Year of the
Ocean was given an Anvil Award of Merit for Special Events. Last November,
www.oneocean.org was named Most
Outstanding Web Site for Environment by the Philippine Web Awards.
ILOM News
More groups support mangrove project
Two more groups in Cebu have expressed support for the "A Million
Mangroves for the Millennium" project. These are the Singles for
Christ - Cebu, a religious organization with a nationwide and St. Theresa's
College and High School Departments (STC).
The Singles for Christ have committed to plant mangroves on 100 hectares
in Cebu Province.
STC students, meanwhile, planted several mangrove propagules at the
proposed mangrovetum site in Jugan, Consolacion, Cebu.
General Santos City prepares for celebrity dive
The General Santos City ILOM chapter has set a celebrity dive for March
2000. The core group plans to invite six celebrities to a dive site
in Sarangani Bay to help promote coastal resource management and conservation
in the area. The chapter, which was founded in December 1998 during
the showing of the "Our Seas, Our Life" in General Santos City, is also
scheduled to hold its election of officers in February, the first in
the chapter's history.
Bohol chapter plans general assembly
The ILOM chapter of Bohol is planning to hold a general assembly to
map out a program of action for 2000.
The chapter elected its officers last January 22. Named president was
Shirley Dublas, who works at the Regional Trial Court of Bohol. Dublas
is calling all Bohol ILOM members to attend the general assembly. Those
interested may call the Social Action Center at (038) 4115171 (look
for Bonifacio Calapan) or email aayco@mozcom.com.
