Ms. Frauke Jungbluth, WB Task Team Leader, asked Focus Group Discussion participants last June 24 the realities and challenges they face to secure their municipal waters. Members of the LGU, Bantay-Dagat, and People's Organizations participated in the said activity.

World Bank, DA invest in environment protection projects in Quezon Province

Date Published: August 16, 2016

Sustainable development — both for environment and economy — is the name of the game.

Fisherfolk from the fifth class municipality of Agdangan in Quezon believe that one of the benefits of their marine protected area (MPA) is increased fish catch and diversity of marine species. With such knowledge, they are determined to safeguard their municipal waters. However, groups from nearby localities illegally fish in the said waters using destructive methods.

Illegal and destructive fishing in the MPA will soon be history as DA-PRDP, in partnership with the Global Environment Facility (GEF), invests in community-based coastal ecosystem protection and biodiversity conservation in Tayabas Bay, one of the six globally significant biodiversity areas identified by the World Bank (WB).

“We are here to help and understand where [stage] you are,” Frauke Jungbluth, Lead Agriculture Economist and WB task team leader, stated during the interim mission on the GEF-assisted project in Agdangan on June 23 and 24.

During the event, the local government unit (LGU) together with the Bantay-Dagat (Deputized Fish Warden) team and the fisherfolk clarified that illegal fishing occurs outside the 24-hectare fish sanctuary. A floating guard house and patrol boats are just some of the items proposed by the proponent group to prevent illegal fishing in the sanctuary.  They also requested training sessions about the pertinent fishery laws so that they could learn more about their rights and responsibilities.

For most of the fisherfolk, the volume of their catch today is a far cry from before. The current average yield is only two to three kilos per trip and is of less variety than before. The LGU’s implementation of closed fishing season was suggested to ensure that marine organisms will have better chances to reach maturity and multiply. During those seasons, the LGU can provide other livelihood opportunities to limit the economic impact to fishing communities.

The proposed P2.56 million-worth Bahurang Silag Fish Sanctuary Rehabilitation sub-project aims to protect, manage, and rehabilitate natural resources, increase the LGU’s effectiveness in MPA management and strengthen their conservation initiatives. It also aims to protect the rights of the town’s fisherfolk in coastal resource management.

The six people’s organizations in Agdangan also proposed a P2.39 million-worth seaweed production microenterprise project that will provide alternative means of livelihood to the coastal communities.

For the microenterprise sub-projects, the WB mission team emphasized the need to enhance not only the production skills, but also the entrepreneurial know-how of the people’s organizations involved.

The proponent groups identified traders from Lucena City as possible customer in addition to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

During the mission that focused on the pre-implementation progress of the projects and perspective of affected communities, CALABARZON Deputy Regional Project Director Teodora Mamades said that the proponents’ goal must balance the community’s need for environmental protection and economic prosperity. She added that the WB mission team wanted to make sure that the project proposals would fit that narrative.

PRDP RPCO 4A Deputy Project Regional Director Teodora Mamades urged the local government to comply with all the requirements needed. GEF-assisted projects for the town are fish sanctuary rehabilitation and seaweed production enterprise.

PRDP RPCO 4A Deputy Project Regional Director Teodora Mamades urged the local government to comply with all the requirements needed. GEF-assisted projects for the town are fish sanctuary rehabilitation and seaweed production enterprise.

Tayabas Bay is surrounded by provinces of Batangas, Quezon, and Marinduque. A rich breeding ground of marine animals and seaweed beds, it was listed as a priority conservation area in the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) and as major coastal and fishery resource area by BFAR. Some of the endangered animals living in Tayabas Bay include marine turtles such as Hawksbill, Olive Ridley, and Green Sea.

Hon. Vicenta Aguilar, outgoing mayor of Agdangan, Quezon, delivered a message during the presentation of their proposals. GEF-assisted projects for the town are fish sanctuary rehabilitation and seaweed production enterprise.

Hon. Vicenta Aguilar, outgoing mayor of Agdangan, Quezon, delivered a message during the presentation of their town’s proposals.

The WB mission team was composed of task leader Frauke Jungbluth, Food and Agriculture Organization consultant Jim Hancock, Coastal Resource Management consultant Joey Gatus, and representatives from the National Project Coordination Office, Regional Project Coordination Office and South Luzon Project Support Office. Representatives from various people’s organizations, fisherfolk, and LGU officials attended the two-day event.

GEF is an international organization established to address the planet’s most pressing environmental problems. It aims to incorporate natural biodiversity conservation mechanisms and coastal and fisheries resources management to local governments’ commodity investment plans. This will ensure that biodiversity conservation measures are integrated with the implementation of agri-fishery based infrastructure and enterprise investments in the identified GEF sites.

PRDP is a six-year project designed to establish a modern, inclusive, value-chain oriented, and climate-resilient agriculture and fisheries sector. With funding support from the Bank, PRDP is implemented by DA in partnership with LGUs and farmers and fishers organizations. ### (Lawrence Albert Bariring, DA-PRDP RPCO 4A InfoACE Unit)

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