PH Pitches Five Sites to Be Added to Marine Protected Area List

The Philippines is looking at five sites to include in a marine protected area (MPA) management project of the ASEAN to be implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The five sites would include the Ticao-Burias Pass Protected Seascape (TBPPS), Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (TRNP), Agoo Damortis Protected Landscape & Seascape (ADPLS), Turtle Islands Wildlife Sanctuary (TIWS), and the Bani-Bolinao-Burgos-Infanta, Dasol-Agno MPAN (MPA Network).

The  Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) came up with the list after meeting with stakeholders of the project, namely the  Effectively Managing Networks of Marine Protected Areas in Large Marine Ecosystems (LME) in ASEAN or (ENMAPS).

This is to collect the data as it is set to submit a project proposal to their funder, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) by 2023 March.

ENMAPS sites would need to be biodiversity-rich areas that deal with environmental destruction threats. So far, the project beneficiaries include countries such as Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia.

ENMAPS plans to upgrade and improve the network management of marine corridors and MPAs in chosen LMEs in the ASEAN region. This plans to conserve globally significant biodiversity and support sustainable fisheries.

The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) in partnership with the DENR’s Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) will handle the ASEAN ENMAPS.

This also entails the collaboration with national working groups hailing from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, National Fisheries Research & Development Institute, DENR’s Foreign Assisted & Special Projects Services (FASPS), and PEMSEA (Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia).

Source: Philstar