OVER SEAS -- The Online Magazine for Sustainable Seas

Palawan

CRMP’s work in Palawan focuses on San Vicente, 180 km from Puerto Princesa. Known to the outside world primarily for its 14-km White Beach, San Vicente is, to CRMP, a rich ground for instituting programs in coastal resource management. This municipality northwest of Puerto Princesa City has four out of the 165 fishing grounds found in Palawan: Imuruan Bay, Caruray, Pagdanan and Jibbon Bay. With forest reserve areas covering 86.8% or 68,834 hectares of the total land area of nearly 80,000 hectares and a coastline extending to 120 kms, majority of San Vicente’s 20,000 residents depend on fishing for livelihood.

Creating a CRM Model
Port Barton is beginning its CRM plan, which will serve as model for the rest of CRMP’s learning area in Palawan. The pace has picked up with the completion of several seminars and workshops covering integrated coastal management (organized by CRMP), fishery warden training (by the Department of Agriculture), and livelihood training (by the Regional Fisheries Training Center). In addition, the municipal government, supported by the provincial government, has completed basic community organizing and social preparation.

Benjie Francisco, who is assisting Learning Area Coordinator Mel Corkum, said he expects the Port Barton CRM plan outline to be completed in June. "Once we have this plan started, it would be easier to draw up the plans for the other barangays (villages) in our learning area," he added.

According to Francisco, Port Barton’s selection as the pilot site for CRM planning was influenced by three factors: the strong political commitment of the local government to CRM, Port Barton’s "high visibility" as a tourist destination, and the "highly significant" issues facing the community.

"People in Port Barton realize the importance of protecting their coastal environment," Francisco said. "They know that tourists come to Port Barton because of its natural attractions -- the beach and healthy reefs." §