The Global Environment Facility (GEF) interventions under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) cover five marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Bicol Region particularly in the Provinces of Sorsogon and Masbate.

The PRDP-GEF aims to strengthen the conservation of the coastal and marine resources based on the targeted program areas through natural resources, biodiversity conservation, and fisheries resources management.

To ensure that this objective is attained and the activities be competently implemented, the GEF Natural Resource Management (NRM) unit sought assistance of RARE, Inc. RARE is a consulting firm with extensive experience in natural resources-coastal and fisheries resources management planning and plan preparation with local government units (LGUs), national government agencies, and rural communities in the country.

RARE will support the initiatives of the GEF-NRM Unit by providing technical assistance to enhance the partner LGUs’ and communities’ capacity in sustainable coastal and fisheries resources management and implementation. The technical assistance includes capacity building for enhanced knowledge, skills, attitudes, and competencies in participatory formulation of holistic LGU-based Integrated Coastal and Fisheries Resources Management Cum Sustainability Plan (ICFRM-SP), and Strategic Awareness Campaign Approaches with corresponding policies, systems, and procedures for effective coastal and marine ecosystems management.

RARE Inc. will train local conservation leaders to change the way their communities relate to nature. It uses a social marketing campaign called “Pride Campaign” which inspires people to take pride in the species and habitats that make their community unique while introducing practical alternatives to environmentally destructive practices.

The RARE team headed by Neneth Clenuar and Aileen Bellen visited the five GEF sites to be familiar with the stakeholders and know the current situation in the area. The team facilitated FISHMARK to identify community’s level of fisheries management and focus group discussion to determine the interventions that they can offer to the stakeholders.

Nenita Clenuar of RARE facilitates the focus group discussion with the representatives of the seven fisher folk organizations in San Fernando, Masbate. (Photo by: Michelle Angela G. Alfigura, DA-PRDP RPCO 5 InfoACE Unit)

The results of the FISHMARK were immediately discussed with the LGUs to help them realize the things that need to be improved. Based on the results, most of the GEF sites are good in terms of fisheries legislation, regulation, and fisheries law enforcement.

Primary and secondary data were collected in preparation for the crafting of the ICFRM-SP. More activities will be organized by the GEF-NRM team of PRDP together with RARE Inc. to attain a harmonious implementation of the GEF subprojects. ### (Michelle Angela G. Alfigura, DA-PRDP RPCO 5 InfoACE Unit)

The stakeholders of Brgy. Dapdap, Pilar, Sorsogon share their opinions and suggestions with the PRDP-GEF and RARE team during the focus group discussion. (Photo by: Michelle Angela G. Alfigura, DA-PRDP RPCO 5 InfoACE Unit)