|
|
|
|
In the Philippines, capacity-building programs have evolved as the field
of coastal management has matured from sector-based strategies aimed primarily
at increasing community participation to broader, integrated approaches
with multi-sectoral collaboration (Courtney and
White, 2000). Such evolution is institutionalized through various
legislation and policy mechanisms:
Philippine Agenda 21 highlights the need to build the local capacity to
enable the preparation of comprehensive coastal zone management plans
at the national, regional and local levels, with the communities' genuine
participation. (Table 1)
The 1991 Local Government Code, or LGC, underscores the important role
of local government units (LGUs) as a primary target for capacity-building
programs.
The National Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP) for 1999-2004 also emphasizes
the role of LGUs in improving the management of coastal resources in the
Philippines by setting targets for coastal and marine resources that
include coastal resource management (CRM) adopted by 250 LGUs covering
6,000 km of shoreline for the improved management of municipal waters
by the year 2004.
| Table 1. Capacity-building priorities in
Philippine Agenda 21 |
- Institute capacity-building and information support measures
to enable the communities to participate in the management of
coastal and marine ecosystems
- Train communities to gather data/information on simple coastal
and marine attributes, especially coastal and marine biodiversity
- Provide technical and financial assistance to improve traditional
knowledge of marine living resources and fishing techniques
- Develop and maintain database for assessment and management
of coastal and marine ecosystem
- Develop and enhance capability in the use of state-of-the-art
planning and management tools such as geographic information systems
and global positioning systems
- Provide easy access to information by linking stakeholders
to electronic networks
- Coordinate with research and academic institutions on upgrading
of skills of staff and workers on the management of coastal and
marine resources
- Develop scientific and technological capabilities for coastal
and marine researchers, monitoring and equipment· Organize
a multi-sectoral monitoring team to regularly assess the status
of the area and to evaluate impacts of activities/projects on
the resources and environment· Develop, adopt and share
analytical and predictive tools such as stock assessment and bioeconomic
models.
|
The Coastal Resource Management
Project (CRMP), a 7-year technical assistance project (1996-2002)
of the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources funded by the United
States Agency for International Development was designed to build
the capacity of Philippine LGUs to deliver CRM as a basic service to local
communities.
When the LGC was enacted in 1991, coastal LGUs were identified as a strategic
entry point for capacity-building programs on coastal management as the
primary mandate for managing coastal resources in municipal waters, which
extend seaward to a distance of 15 km from the shoreline, was devolved
to 832 coastal municipalities (54.4% of municipalities nationwide) and
57 coastal cities in the Philippines. Almost five years after the passage
of the LGC, however, LGUs still had a low level of awareness and concern
for coastal management. During the first series of workshops conducted
by CRMP with coastal municipalities in 1996, local government staff expressed
a wide range of understanding about the role of LGUs in CRM. Many LGUs
understood that managing municipal waters was within their legal mandate,
but few viewed CRM as a priority concern and most were unclear about what
this mandate really meant and how to go about fulfilling it. Other LGUs
had the notion that CRM was still the primary responsibility of the national
government.
A two-track approach
In a 1997 survey developed by CRMP and conducted in partnership with the
League of Municipalities of the Philippines, coastal mayors identified
lack of technical expertise and trained staff (over 80% of all responses),
as well as inadequate funding (about 75% of responses), as the key obstacles
to fulfilling their mandate.
CRMP utilized a two-track approach in building LGU capacity for coastal
management by working at a local level with 29 coastal municipalities
in 6 provinces and at a national level with the League of Municipalities
of the Philippines (LMP), the national association of all municipalities
in the Philippines, to prioritize CRM on the municipal government agenda.
Capacity-building activities at the local level were conducted through
multi-institutional and multi-sectoral teams with technical and financial
counterparts from coastal communities, LGU, national government agencies,
non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, and the private
sector. Field activities conducted at the municipal level included technical
and on-the-job training in participatory coastal resource assessment (PCRA),
CRM planning, marine protected area and mangrove management, monitoring
and evaluation, and coastal law enforcement.
A
Caohagan Island (Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu) resident discusses issues and problems
faced by her community. (Photo by Manolita Morales)
Capacity-building approaches were designed to articulate, package, and
market CRM as a basic service by fostering local leadership, packaging
the generic planning process for CRM-specific planning by municipalities;
marketing information management systems to local government; benchmarking
local government performance in CRM; brokering technical and financial
assistance through multi-institutional and multisectoral collaboration;
retooling extension services for CRM, and sharing experiences and lessons
learned in CRM through study tours and publications.
Simultaneously, CRMP strategically expanded its area of influence through
a series of national capacity-building activities in partnership with
the LMP. As a result of these efforts, by 1998, the interest in CRM and
demand for technical assistance from coastal LGUs had began to grow. In
response to such growing demand, the LMP in partnership with CRMP convened
on May 26-28, 1999 the first "Conference of Coastal Municipalities"
with the theme Empowering Coastal Municipalities for Integrated Coastal
Management.
The Conference was attended by 701 coastal mayors representing 84% of
coastal municipalities in the Philippines, and was the first of its kind
in Asia and only the 2nd in the world after Canada. Unprecedented in terms
of mayors' participation, cabinet-level interest and participation, mass
media coverage, and intensity of discussions, it resulted in a 15-point
national policy agenda for CRM, which describes specific actions for the
LGU, such as developing and implementing CRM plans, and for national government,
such as financial and technical assistance. The agenda was supported by
all coastal municipalities and thus helped catalyze local government initiatives,
with CRM beginning to be articulated as a basic service of local government.
Planning small wins
To further hasten the adoption of CRM as a basic service, performance
benchmarks for CRM were developed as a guide for LGUs. The objective was
to plan "small wins," and three levels of performance benchmarks
were defined as beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels of CRM for
LGUs (Table 2).
Beginning level benchmarks target the drafting of a multi-year CRM plan
and planning and initiation of CRM best practices (Table
3). Intermediate level benchmarks show successful implementation that
is already underway, while advanced level benchmarks address sustained
implementation and socio-environmental improvement.
Indicators and activities for each benchmark were incorporated into the
Municipal Coastal Database (MCD), a nationwide information management
system developed by CRMP as a planning and monitoring and evaluation tool
for coastal LGUs. Furthermore, participatory monitoring and evaluation
methods were developed and the expertise transferred to the LGUs.
The
Municipal Coastal Database was designed as a planning
and monitoring tool for coastal LGUs.
Using the MCD and a participatory monitoring and evaluation framework,
many coastal LGUs are thus now able to regularly assess and measure their
progress and the impacts of capacity-building efforts and CRM plans and
programs.
| Table 2. Benchmarks for local
government performance in CRM |
|
BEGINNING CRM
Acceptance of CRM as a basic service of municipal or city government
with planning and field interventions initiated1 to 3 years
|
INTERMEDIATE CRM
Implementation of CRM plans underway with effective integration
to local governance3 to 5 years
|
ADVANCED CRM
Sustained long term implementation of CRM with monitoring, measured
results and positive returns5 years or more
|
- Budget allocated for CRM
- Municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management
Councils (MFARMC) formed and active
- Baseline assessment undertaken through Participatory
Coastal Resource Assessment (PCRA) and scientific surveys
- Coastal environmental profile complete with
maps and baseline data
- Multi-year CRM plan drafted6. Appropriate CRM
best practices planned and initiate
|
- Financial and human resources assigned permanently
to CRM activities
- MFARMC active and effective
- Multi-year CRM plan finalized and adopted
- At least two appropriate CRM best practices
implemented with measured success
|
- Annual programming and budget based on results
of monitoring and evaluation
- MFARMC active and effective
- CRM plan implementation fully supported by LGU
and collaborators for more than 5 years
- Illegal acts stopped
- Biophysical improvement measured
- Socio-economic benefits accrue to coastal residents
- Positive perception of CRM interventions among
stakeholders
|
| Table 3. Illustrative CRM best practices |
- Local legislation drafted, passed, and implemented: e.g. ordinances
for CRM plan adoption, unified fisheries ordinance, environment
code
- Fisheries management measures and regulatory mechanisms established
and implemented e.g. registry of municipal fishers; licensing
system for boats
- Coastal law enforcement units operational: e.g. coastal law
enforcement units trained, seaborne assets operational, patrols
conducted, apprehensions, arrests, and convictions made
- Marine sanctuaries functional: e.g. marine sanctuaries established
by municipal ordinance with strong community support
- Mangroves managed under community-based forest agreements or
other management measuresü Municipal water boundaries officially
established through municipal ordinance and enforced
- Fee system established for generating revenue from the use
of coastal resources and municipal watersü Environment-friendly
enterprises established e.g. enterprises are aimed at reducing
pressure on coastal resources
- Shoreline protection measures established, e.g. shoreline setback
requirements established and regular monitoring and other regulatory
measures to protect the coastal zone and foreshore; construction
of seawalls in foreshore areas stoppedü Solid waste management
system implemented
- Environmental impacts of infrastructure and high impact projects
in coastal areas avoided or appropriately mitigated, e.g. proper
siting of facilities away from sensitive coastal habitats, environmental
infrastructure for port and harbor facilities required; reclamation
projects in mangrove areas stopped
- Soil and water conservation practices implemented
- Coastal recreation and tourism activities carefully planned
and implemented to avoid environmental degradationü Other
habitat protective measures and open access restrictions in plac
|
Encouraging trends
On the whole, the trends in establishing CRM as a basic service of local
government in the Philippines are encouraging. Looking at the regular
allocation of budget for municipal CRM plans and programs -- an important
indicator of the status of delivery of CRM as basic service - CRMP data
show both the number of LGUs and the average CRM budget allocated increasing
dramatically over baseline values established in 1995 (Figure
1).
The following positive trends can be noted from the same data:
· Coastal municipalities are establishing Municipal Fisheries and
Aquatic Resource Management Councils (MFARMCs) to promote active community
participation in the CRM process. The cumulative number of LGUs with MFARMCs
has increased to 288, or 34% of all 832 coastal municipalities nationwide,
in 2000 (Figure 2).
- Coastal LGUs are formulating CRM plans with 57 coastal municipalities,
7.5% of all coastal municipalities, reporting multi-year municipal CRM
plans formulated by 2000 (Figure 3).
- An increasing number of municipalities are implementing CRM best
practices as indicated by the increased number of LGUs -- 127 by 2000
(15% of all coastal municipalities) -- with marine protected areas (MPA)
(Figure 4).
- Biophysical impacts, measured through participatory coral reef assessment
methods show that the establishment of well-managed, marine protected
areas results in substantial increases in fish abundance both inside
and outside the MPA (Figure 5).
Figure 1. Cumulative number of LGUs
with CRM budgets and average annual budget allocated for CRM based on
MCD entries from coastal municipalities (average exchange rate over this
time period is PhP 40 = US$ 1)
Figure 2. Cumulative number of LGUs with MFARMCs established
based on the MCD entries from coastal municipalities (MCD, 2000)
Figure 3. Cumulative number of LGUs with CRM plans
based on MCD entries from coastal municipalities (MCD, 2000)
Figure 4. Cumulative number of LGUs with MPAs based
on MCD entries from coastal municipalities (MCD, 2000)
Figure 5. Average percent change in fish abundance
(compared to baseline) inside and adjacent to six municipal marine sanctuaries
These benchmarks can be used to measure progress under the recently
defined goals and objectives of the current MTDP (1999-2004), which highlights
the role of local government in improving the management of coastal resources
in the Philippines. To date, 48 "CRMP-assisted" municipalities
covering 1,410 km of shoreline have met all the beginning level benchmarks
for CRM delivery as a basic service (Figure 6). This
represents 6% of coastal municipalities and 8% of the shoreline nationwide
and meets the targets sets by the MTDP.
A certification system using the performance benchmarks and levels described
in Table 2 is being proposed as a national framework
to regularly evaluate the implementation of municipal CRM plans and as
a mechanism to provide incentives for LGU performance. CRMP is currently
in the process of developing and pilot-testing a CRM certification system
for coastal municipalities through the Regional Development Council for
Region 7.
Figure 6. Status of beginning level delivery of CRM
as a basic service by LGUs and Medium Term Development Plan targets established
by the Government of the Philippines
The challenge ahead
While much progress has been made in building LGU capacity for CRM, continued
improvements in systems of local governance and CRM are needed to sustain
and build on these gains. The current challenge is to achieve a critical
mass of coastal municipalities at the beginning level of CRM while at
the same time to promote graduation to intermediate and advanced levels
through sustained program implementation and measurable socio-environmental
impacts.
To achieve these targets, national policies and capacity-building programs
from all sectors and sources must be aligned and prioritized toward the
common goal of improving LGU capacity to adopt CRM. Policy directions
for improved local governance and CRM in the Philippines need to be continued
to support decentralization and accountability. The tendency for national
government is to resist further devolution by holding on to or trying
to regain command and control functions and financial resources. At the
same time, local government must continue to improve its delivery of basic
services and provide real measures of accountability to their constituents
and the country at large. Philippine LGUs need to integrate lessons learned
in improved local governance and coastal management into a new framework
of environmental governance. ±
This article was excerpted from "Building
Capacity for Coral Reef Management: Trends, Issues and Challenges, and
Opportunities", a paper presented by the author at the International
Coral Reef Initiative Regional Workshop for East Asia, April 2-4, 2001,
Mactan Shangrila Resort, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, Philippines
Courtney, C.A. and A.T. White.
2000. Integrated coastal management in the Philippines: testing new paradigms.
Coastal Management 28:39-53.
***
|
