OVER SEAS -- May 2000: Coastal Alert

PNP Maritime Office in Central Visayas to intensify campaign in Maribojoc Bay, other bays
The Philippine National Police Maritime Office in the Central Visayas Region, together with national government agencies, non-governmental organizations, fishers' groups, and local government units around Maribojoc Bay in Bohol Province, vowed to intensify its campaign to curb illegal fishing activities in the area.

Maribojoc Bay is the largest bay in Bohol, stretching 74 kilometers along the coastline fringing the towns of Maribojoc, Dauis, Panglao, Cortes and Tagbilaran City. It serves as a major navigational channel for ships plying the Tagbilaran City, Cebu City and Manila route.
The bay's marine and aquatic resources include degraded but still healthy coral reefs and seagrass beds, large mangrove areas, nipa wetlands, and an abundance of pelagic fishes with seasonal runs of Spanish mackerels and big eye scads. This abundance of fishery resources attracts large commercial fishing vessels from all parts of the country, specifically from Luzon, and Western Visayas and Mindanao.
Local government units in the bay admit they find it difficult to curb the entry of large commercial fishing vessels that pillage their municipal waters every night because they lack patrol boats, communication equipment and manpower.

Commercial fishing activities are prohibited within municipal waters, which as provided by law extend to 15 kilometers seaward from the shoreline. In the case of Maribojoc Bay, however, an average of 4 large fishing vessels per night have been noted to operate last March alone. This condition is made worse by rampant destructive fishing perpetrated by small fishers operating in the bay.

The PNP Maritime Group, with technical support from CRMP, initiated a dialogue with stakeholders in the bay area in order to come up with a collaborative approach to solve these problems. Through a process of participatory consultation and consensus building facilitated by the Bohol Environmental Management Office, the city and municipal government units, the provincial government of Bohol, the PNP Provincial Office, the Philippine Coast Guard, the provincial offices of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR), NGOs, Bantay Dagay Groups and the Philippine Maritime Group Regional Office 7 agreed to share their resources to formulate an integrated bay-wide strategy for eradicating illegal and destructive fishing activities in Maribojoc Bay.

Initially, a PNP patrol boat was deployed to the area to augment the sea-borne patrol assets of the province. Similar activities are being undertaken by the PNP Maritime Group in various parts of the country.

The Philippine Maritime Group has 13 regional offices and 51 Maritime Stations manned by 1,300 uniformed personnel.
The Philippines has 140 bays and an estimated 14,000 domestic fishing vessels and more than 100,000 small fishing boats actively operating in its waters.

To report illegal fishing incidents, call PNP Maritime Headquarters Operations Center - (02) 722-1074 in Manila or (032) 233-9993 in the Central Visayas Region. -- Mar Guidote, CRMP

More groups join CLEAR 7
More and more government agencies and non-governmental organizations are joining the Coastal Law Enforcement Alliance-Region 7 (CLEAR 7) bandwagon. Originally initiated by the regional offices of the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), 2nd Coast Guard District (2CGD), PNP Maritime Group (MARIG), Philippine National Association of Fish Wardens (Phil-Naf), International Marinelife Alliance (IMA), and CRMP with the objective of developing and implementing an integrated coastal law enforcement strategy in the Central Visayas Region, CLEAR 7 has grown to become a formidable force with the inclusion of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Department of Interior and Local Government Region 7 (DILG-7), Environmental Legal Assistance Center (ELAC) and the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP)- Bohol.

Banking on Memoradum Order No. 44 of NBI Chief Atty. Federico Opinion directing all NBI Regional Offices in the country to conduct dialogues with local government units on how the Bureau can assist in the prosecution of illegal fishing cases, NBI Central Visayas Office saw it fit to align themselves with the CLEAR 7 agencies to expand the scope of their coverage. NBI, in joining CLEAR 7, has agreed to assist in the investigation and filing of cases against perpetrators of illegal and destructive fishing activities and help in the investigative skills development of coastal law enforcement operatives.

DILG, on the other hand, volunteered to promote coastal resource management as a basic service of local government units and vowed to push for a stricter enforcement of fisheries laws. It has also agreed to develop a strong database support for coastal law enforcement efforts in the region. Under Republic Act 6975, DILG is responsible for local government development and supervision and promotion of public order and safety.

A paralegal group, ELAC saw that the CLEAR 7 objectives are consistent with their mandate and organizational values. Citing multi-stakeholder participation as key to effective coastal law enforcement, ELAC, too has become one of the newest non-government organization in the alliance.

Lastly, recognizing that under the devolved character of Philippine government, the active involvement of local government units is imperative for any program to be truly successful, LMP-Bohol Chapter has also thrown its full support to the CLEAR 7 initiative by agreeing to be the voice of the municipal government units in the multi-sectoral body. Under RA 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991 and RA 8550 or the Fisheries Code of 1998, coastal law enforcement is vested on local government units.

CLEAR 7 now has 11 members consisting of national government agencies, non-governmental organizations and a quasi-government organization. It has 7 components, namely, inter-agency planning and coordination, promotion of sustainable fishing, field operations, capability building, local governance support mechanism, documentation and replication, and monitoring and evaluation.

In March to April of this year, the alliance conducted a fisheries laws training workshop and simulated boarding exercises for coastal law enforcers in Region 7, with assistance from the US Coast Guard International Training Division. - Mar Guidote, CRMP

Government to provide incentives for "green" companies
A package of regulatory assistance, incentives, and other support will now be provided continuously to allow industry to explore and implement cost-effective and sustainable solutions for managing industrial pollution under a government-industry partnership program.
The program, dubbed as the Philippine Environment Partnership Program (PEPP), will set up support systems to allow industry to improve its environmental management and performance through the adoption of Environmental Management System (EMS) and other preventive schemes like Cleaner Production and Pollution Prevention (CPPP).

The PEPP will be established by the Office of the President, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) with the support of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), the Economic Mobilization Group, and the Asian Institute of Management.

Under PEPP, the government will provide a support package to industry in exchange for its commitment to self-regulate and be accountable by implementing EMS and pollution prevention programs, issuing public reports on their environmental performance, undertaking social audits to demonstrate their openness to stakeholders, and subscribing to the sustainability principles of Philippine Business Agenda 21. The package includes regulatory assistance such as phased compliance programs, incentives to encourage investments in pollution abatement measures, technical assistance, and financing through lending facilities.

The main implementation mechanisms of the PEPP will be in the form of cooperation agreements granting incentives in exchange for industry's demonstrated commitments to improve its environmental management practices. These agreements cover a wide range of concerns, including the adoption of measurable and verifiable waste reduction targets, regular reports on industry's environmental performance, industry plans to implement EMS and pollution prevention schemes, a timetable for attaining compliance to regulatory standards, and financing for investments in pollution abatement equipment, among others.

DENR Secretary Antonio Cerilles said the mechanisms will be finalized in a dialogue between government and industry where it will be determined what incentives will work to actually promote self-regulation.

"The importance of business and industry going 'green'," Cerilles said, "is that [good environmental performance] is not just a matter of public relations but good business. In an evaluation of 500 industrial case studies abroad some years ago, the results showed various benefits for companies that reduced their waste and prevented pollution."

These benefits included lower costs of raw materials, lower energy costs, lower waste disposal costs and reduced dependency on waste treatment, fewer and lesser regulatory complications, and lower operational and maintenance cost. In these 500 cases, wastes were reduced by 85-100%; payback periods for investments in the waste disposal schemes ranged from three years to one month.

"Industry generally favors self-regulation," said Cerilles. "While this is desirable in principle, the environmental record of many sectors of industry needs to improve before public confidence can be assured. The more businesses show that they are committed to high standards of environmental performance, the more government's role can be limited to the definition of standards, provision of appropriate economic incentives and to monitoring, with enforcement as a last resort." - A.C. Dayrit, Public Affairs Office, DENR, 05.25.00

People's organization files complaint against commercial fishers
A fisherfolk organization in Poro, Camotes, Cebu has filed before the provincial prosecutor a case against two the operators of commercial fishing boats from Leyte who were caught fishing illegally within municipal waters.

The boats, fb Fausto, owned by a certain Serafio Cayanong of Albuera, Leyte, and fb Elsa, owned by Marino Muana, also of Albuera, were seen fishing in municipal waters by Poro deputized fish wardens Rudito Opon and Nonito Mesias, who filed the complaint.
Under Philippine laws, commercial fishing is not allowed in municipal waters, which extend to 15 km from the shoreline. (Click to download Philippine Fisheries Code) - LA Pinili, Sun.Star Cebu, 05.03.00

Seaweed production up 9%
Philippine seaweed production in the first four months of 2000 hit 39.53 million kilos, up 8.9 percent from the same period last year, the Seaweed Industry Association of the Philippines (SIAP) said.

About 70% of total production came from Mindanao, particularly the provinces of Jolo, Tawi-Tawi and Zamboanga City. Palawan and the Visayas contributed 20%, and the rest came from the fast-developing seaweed production areas in southern Luzon. -- FCE in Sun.Star Cebu, 05.22.00

Firm eyes coastal towns for production
San Miguel Corporation (SMC) plans to set up production zones along the country's coastal towns and ports over the next decade, the company said in its annual report.

The zones, also called "logistical centers", will feature bulk-handling facilities, breweries, bottling plants, packaging and food processing plants housed in one manufacturing and distribution complex. Their creation will integrate many of SMC's businesses and allow the company to take advantage of economies of scale, minimize costs, avoid double handling, and draw on its different businesses' skills and experiences to serve its customers better, said the report. I.R. Sino Cruz, Cebu Daily News, 04.27.00

Company faces fine for operating wharf without permit - ports authority
A construction company that has been operating a private wharf in Asturias, Cebu may be fined Php20,000 for operating without clearance from the Cebu Ports Authority (CPA). It may also be charged an additional fine of Php20,000 for the illegal construction of the wharf and possible wharfage and tariff fees.

CPA records show the company, Roden Construction and Development Corporation (RCDC), applied for a permit to operate the wharf in 1999 but its application was denied.

"Roden applied sometime last year, but there were some deficiencies in their application, notably the required environmental clearance certificate (ECC) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)," said Lawyer Yusop Uckung, head of the legal affairs divisionof CPA.

Some 200 residents in Asturias have barricaded the wharf to dramatize their protest against its illegal construction, which they said "violates environmental laws and causes disturbance during its operation, especially at night."

The submission of an ECC and other documents is required before the CPA can issue a permit to operate a public or private wharf. N.B. Ramirez in Cebu Daily News, 05.04.00.

Overseas

10 environmentalists named 2000 Pew fellows
Ten ocean ambassadors from five continents, ranging from nonprofit conservation managers, to an environmental writer and marine scientists, to ocean advocates and policy makers, have been awarded $150,000 each by the Pew Fellows Program in Marine Conservation, reputed to be the world's largest and most prestigious award for the preservation of the sea

An initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts in partnership with the New England Aquarium, the fellowships are awarded annually to ten outstanding individuals to conduct interdisciplinary projects that apply sound science to urgent challenges in marine ecosystem conservation, fisheries management, marine pollution, and coastal conservation. With these awards, the Pew Fellows Program seeks to foster greater public understanding of the direct and crucial relationships between life in the sea and life on land.

The 2000 Pew Marine Conservation Fellows will tackle a variety of issues, from empowering Southeast Asian villagers to save wild seahorses and raising awareness to restore the Pacific northwest salmon runs, to educating Ecuadorian fishermen to collect data that protects the Galapagos Marine Reserve. The total of $1.5 million presented annually by the Pew Fellows Program in Marine Conservation makes the fellowships the world's largest award for marine conservationists.

The 2000 recipients are from countries across the globe including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Ecuador, South Africa, the UK and the United States. They are:

"As respected leaders in their fields, the 2000 Pew Fellows excel in their various disciplines and are united by their problem-solving abilities and their capacity to apply sound science to effect positive change for the sea," said Cynthia Robinson, Associate Director of the Pew Fellows Program in Marine Conservation. "By supporting the ingenuity of these distinguished individuals the Program calls awareness to the critical state of our oceans and invests in viable solutions."

The fellowships are highly competitive awards targeted primarily to mid-career professionals. Nominations are made through an international network of environmental experts. Evaluation and selection of Pew Fellows is conducted by a 12-member international advisory committee. Selection is based on the applied conservation merit of the project, the individual's record of professional accomplishment, and the potential impact of the initiative.

Pew Fellows have been chosen from throughout the United States and more than 20 countries around the world. Noted past recipients include Jane Lubchenco, Valley Professor of Marine Biology at Oregon State University and a past president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, whose innovative approaches to fisheries conservation and marine resource management bridge the gap between science and policy for more sustainable ocean use; and Carl Safina, vice president for Marine Conservation at the National Audubon Society and author of the highly acclaimed Song for the Blue Ocean: Encounters Along the World's Coasts and Beneath the Seas.

The Pew Charitable Trusts are among the largest philanthropies in the United States supporting activities in the environment, culture, education, health and human services, public policy, and religion. Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Trusts make strategic investments to encourage civic engagement in addressing critical issues and effecting social change.

The New England Aquarium (NEAq) opened in 1969 as the nation's first modern aquarium and currently attracts more than 1.2 million visitors each year. NEAq is known for its role in regional, national, and international marine conservation efforts and for its innovative educational programs.

For more information on the 2000 Pew Marine Conservation Fellows contact Cynthia Robinson, Associate Director of the Pew Fellows Program, at 617.720.5100 or by email: crobinson@neaq.org.

Women in fishing want better recognition and status for their work, says report
CITES Conference: Whale trade still banned, sturgeon protection enhanced, but no basking shark protection
Coastal Guide News , 05.04.00 -- In a secret ballot vote on April 20th, Norway lost its final attempt at reviving international whale trade. Norway annotated their existing minke whale downlisting proposal to state that trade would be limited to, "products from animals of these stocks taken inside areas of national jurisdiction." Also, Norway said it would, "trade only between countries where DNA-based identification systems for trade control exist." In opposition to the proposal, the US stated that neither Norway nor Japan implemented acceptable DNA identification systems, nor were they transparent in reporting on their current whaling activities. Iceland and Japan voiced their support for the Norwegians.

On the same day, the United Kingdom lost its campaign to list the basking shark under CITES Appendix II protection. This would have set an important conservation precedent by placing a commercially valuable marine fish under CITES trade protection for the first time. The basking shark is currently listed as "vulnerable" by the IUCN. IFAW has campaigned strongly for the protection of the basking shark, noting that commercial fishing for fins and oil for international trade have seriously depleted shark stocks. Fins continue to increase in value as an ingredient in shark fin soup.

In presenting the revised UK proposal, Elliot Morley, UK Minister of Fisheries stated that the scientific information available showed that the basking shark meets the CITES and IUCN criteria for listing on Appendix II. Most opposition to the proposal centered on the debate over whether the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) or CITES should be responsible for managing threatened fish species.

On April 19th, the resolution on the conservation of sturgeons and paddlefish (listed on Appendix II) submitted by the Russian Federation and with amendments by Iran was adopted. This resolution includes a request to CITES Parties to establish both export and catch quotas, and text indicating that Parties failing to report quotas would be automatically allowed a zero quota for the following year.
For further information visit: CITES: http://www.cites.org; IFAW: http://www.ifaw.org; International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD): http://www.iisd.ca/cites/cop11/index.html

WRI confirms coastal biodiversity decline
Coastal Guide News 05.04.00 -- In an exhaustive, two year study "World Resources 2000-2001", 175 scientists from the World Resources Institute and several UN agencies gathered alarming data on the state of the world's ecosystems, including coastal ecosystems: While 40% of the world's population lives within 100 km of a coastline, population increase and conversion for development, agriculture and aquaculture are reducing mangroves, coastal wetlands, sea-grass areas and coral reefs at an alarming rate.

Coastal ecosystems have already lost much of their capacity to produce fish because of overfishing, destructive trawling techniques, and destruction of nursery habitats. Engineering at the coast for harbors and sea defense disturbs the physical integrity of the coasts, causing immediate habitat loss, changing natural buffering and adaptation capacities. It often causes a change in water quality and increases the potential threat of spills, the introduction of alien species etc. Rising pollution levels (70-80 % of marine pollution is from land based sources) are associated with increasing use of synthetic substances and fertilizers.

Many of the findings confirm the report from 1996-1997 in which it was stated that coastal ecosystems are threatened by development related activities along roughly half of the world's coasts. In this study 86 % of Europe's coasts and 69 % of Asia's coast was estimated at either high or moderate risk.

The study points out global data and information gaps, indicating where more information should be collected in the future.

US govt commission approves $22.8 million for wetlands projects
Twenty five separate wetland habitat projects in the United States and Mexico will receive nearly $14.1 million in federal grants through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (Act) and the efforts of conservation partnerships among the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other federal and state agencies, private landowners and conservation organizations.

In the United States, the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission approved 16 wetland conservation projects in 16 states at its March 22 meeting in Washington D.C., committing more than $13.1 million in matching grants to private and public organizations involved in habitat conservation and restoration. The commission also approved an additional $1 million for nine projects in seven states in Mexico, projects that will protect habitat for migratory birds that spend part of their year in the U.S.

The $13.2 million in grants for U.S. projects will be augmented by more than $51.8 million raised by project partners. The U.S. projects will protect and enhance almost 188,000 acres of wetland and associated upland habitats critical to wildlife. Project partners will add more than $1.27 million to the $1 million in Act grants for projects in Mexico.

"As these grant awards demonstrate, the North American Wetlands Conservation Act is fostering partnerships that are making a difference for wetland-dependent wildlife across the continent. These projects have

strong local support and will significantly aid our efforts to increase waterfowl and other migratory bird populations," said Service Director Jamie Rappaport Clark.

The North American Wetlands Conservation Act provides matching grants to private and public organizations and to individuals to carry out wetland conservation projects. For every grant dollar spent on U.S. projects, project partners will add four dollars raised from other sources. - US Fish and Wildlife Service

Survey lists 78 ICM web sites worldwide
The first global survey of web sites lists 78 web sites worldwide that describe "integrated coastal management" (ICM) programs. The CRMP web site, www.oneocean.org, is one of only three ICM sites in East Asia and the Pacific and the only English-language web site offering a comprehensive collection of information and reference materials on coastal resource management.

The survey, an ongoing project being undertaken by Robert Kay of Australia-based Coastweb Consulting (www.coastalmanagement.com ), tags a web site with an "ICM" symbol if it "describes a coastal management program that brings together disparate elements in an attempt to holistically manage coastal resources."

"In this sense, an Integrated Coastal Management encompasses a broad constituency of coastal programs with varying degrees of integration," Coastweb Consulting said in a media release announcing the results of the survey.

Web sites that meet this "test of integration" include government coastal program sites which outline national; regional/provincial or local government attempts to better coordinate their efforts in coastal management; super-national (international) organizations with programs to promote and/or fund integrated coastal programs among its members; be they national or sub-national governments or communities; non-governmental organizations working on local or community-based coastal management; and industry or trade groups with programs to promote and/or fund integrated coastal programs among its members.

"Only one web site for a particular unit of government, is tagged as ICM," said the Coastweb statement. "Although it may be argued that a Government can develop more than one program which promotes ICM, by definition there must always be one web site that is the 'peak' integrator, bringing together all other ICM websites within a particular level of government. So, for governments with active ICM programs and most notably the US Federal Government, only one site is tagged as ICM. The exception to this rule is where two levels of government are working with each other, or with the community on a defined geographic area (such as San Francisco Bay or the Great Barrier Reef)."

In March 2000, the first month of the survey, 74 web sites were tagged with the ICM symbol, grouped by region as follows:

Africa	2
Middle East & North Africa	0
East Asian & the Pacific	3
Scandinavia and North Atlantic	0
European Union	13
Europe and Central Asia	6
North America	32
Latin America and the Caribbean	8
Australasia	10
Global	3
Total	74

The number of ICM sites rose to 78 in April 2000. At present, the survey has a "strong developed world bias", Coastweb noted.

The complete survey results are available on-line at Coastweb Consulting's web site at http://www.coastalmanagement.com.

Ocean 21 Program focuses on sustainable coastal management
The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and the International Geographical Union call for collaboration on the Ocean 21 Program "Science for sustainable use of ocean and coastal zones" which aims to mobilize interdisciplinary efforts on ocean and coastal management. The Program foresees two publications series, conferences and other activities. For more information, visit http://ioc.unesco.org/icam/Oceans%2021.htm, or contact the organizer Prof. Adalberto Vallega, e-mail: vallega@polis.unige.it

Coastal Society invites papers, posters and proposals
The Coastal Society invites papers, posters and proposals for sessions for its Year 2000 Conference. Preference will be given to submitted papers and posters that relate closely to conference themes:

For special panels or programs, all papers and proposals will be considered. Sessions will generally be 90 minutes long and include 4 speakers plus time for interactive discussion.

Student participation, papers and posters are encouraged. As added incentive, awards will be given for best student paper and poster. Detailed award guidelines will be available soon on the conference web-site.

For full conference details, visit http://www.oce.orst.edu/mrm/tcs17/confhome.html.

CRMP News

Negros Oriental expansion area completes CRM plans, Masbate begins ICM training
With coastal resource management now underway in most of its learning areas, CRMP has stepped up work in its expansion areas.

Ten municipalities in the project's expansion area in Negros Oriental recently completed their multi-year coastal resource management (CRM) plans. The plans will be submitted to the respective municipal councils for legislation.

Meanwhile, the first of a series of training workshops was conducted this month in Masbate, one of a number of provinces identified by CRMP for expansion this year. The workshop was attended by 42 participants, including representatives of 17 of the province's 21 coastal municipalities.

During this month's workshop on Integrated Coastal Management, the Masbate Provincial CRM Core Group was formally organized. The team, which is composed of and provincial and regional technical staff from the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO), Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office, is expected to provide CRM technical assistance to the municipalities under the general coordination of the PPDO.

ILOM News

PNP Chief Lacson is honorary ILOM member

PNP Chief DirectorGeneral Panfilo Lacson receives his honorary I Love the Ocean Movement membership card from CRMP Chief of Party Dr. Catherine Courtney. Witnessing the event are PNP senior officers in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

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	The Online Magazine for Sustainable Seas May, 2000 Vol. 3 No.5