OVER SEAS -- The Online Magazine for Sustainable Seas

Davao del Sur

The focus of CRMP’s efforts in Davao del Sur are six municipalities -- Padada, Hagonoy, Sulop, Malalag, Sta. Maria and Digos -- covering an area of 85,948 hectares with a population of 56,514 persons and a coastline stretching to 66 km. Five expansion sites have been identified -- Sta. Cruz, Malita, Don Marcelino, Jose Abad Santos and Sarangani Island -- covering an area of 190,499 hectares and a coastline of 191 kms. Majority of the residents in these coastal areas are engaged in fishing and derive their income mainly from fishing the nearby 65-sq km Malalag Bay. Intense exploitation of marine resources has caused the degradation of the coastal environment. Malalag Bay’s live corals once covered 1,020 hectares -- this area has been reduced to a mere 113.4 hectares, primarily because of the prevalence of illegal fishing practices but also partly because of chemical wastes from agriculture and fishponds. To reverse the trend, the government has imposed, since 1992, a gradual banning of compressors. A 50-hectare fish sanctuary has been established in the area, and public awareness of coastal issues is growing.

CRM planning nearing completion
Barangay (village)-level planning for coastal resource management in CRMP's learning area in Malalag Bay is in its last stage with Digos expecting to finish its plans in the first week of March. The barangay plans will be consolidated into municipal plans, which in turn will be integrated into one Bay-wide plan. "At this stage, we are focusing on conducting public hearings so that all possible concerns are ventilated before the CRM plans are adopted in the development plans of the barangays," says CRMP's Johnette Delegero.

Delegero and company are doing a roadshow in CRMP's six learning municipalities in the Malalag Bay area to explain to local government partners the Project's objectives and identify gaps in ongoing activities. A recurring theme has emerged in this roadshow: lack of funds for CRM. §