THE Bohol Provincial Environment Management Office (BPEMO) hosted a two-day Marine Protected Area (MPA) reorganization meeting and strategic planning workshop in Calape.
Held on April 19 to 20, 2023, this initiative is part of BPEMO’s goal to activate Calape’s nine Marine Protected Areas and protect the town’s marine biodiversity from environmental devastation, illegal fishing, and harmful tourism practices. Barangay captains, councilors, and fishing committees from five coastal barangays on Pangangan Island (Lawis, Talisay, Magtongtong, Madangog, and Lomboy-Kahayag) attended the event for an orientation on MPAs, coastal resources management, fishery laws, and updates on the town’s aquaculture program. The event also had a lecture on the importance of coastal management and its benefits in creating livelihoods for local fishers, presented by DENR-CENRO Coastal Extension Officer Sheila Mae Zafra, and BPEMO’s Coastal Resources Management staff Jose Garcia, and Bendita Monte.
“Calape is one of Bohol’s coastal towns with the most identified MPAs. We hope this seminar will create awareness of the importance of proper coastal management that addresses the environmental issues your barangay is facing right now,’ BPEMO’s Coastal Resources Management Head, Villa Pelindingue said.
During the meeting, Calape Mayor Julius Caesar Herrera gave a message on the importance of MPA management in sustaining the town’s fish supply and creating opportunities for marine protection, fish repopulation, and ecotourism development.
“This is a good program for us to get our act right. We are always complaining about how we seldom catch fish in our town. Now, we have an opportunity to start over and listen to experts on what is needed to be done to protect our marine resources. I am asking you all (the participants) to do your part in protecting our seas,” Herrera said.
Herrera thanked the Provincial Government of Bohol, through BPEMO, for organizing the meeting to address the environmental issues found in Calape’s coastal waters.
According to an underwater biophysical assessment by BPEMO conducted on December 5 to 7, 2022, presented by Bersarie Garcia, the office found issues with marine diversity, density, live hard-coral health conditions, and sea grass conditions in Calape’s nine MPAs.
The office noted that these conditions result from marine pollution, unregulated tourism activities, illegal fishers entering protected areas, and natural hazards caused by climate change. BPEMO also created recommendations on MPA management, such as adding more buoys, guard houses, and additional monitoring personnel in MPAs.
After hearing about the results, participants describe this as a “wake-up call” for their barangays to create better aquatic resource management and strengthen their monitoring and enforcement efforts to avoid intrusive human activities harmful to MPAs. In the afternoon, attendees participated in a dialogue headed by BPEMO’s Ian Macaraya, where barangays addressed problems persisting in their coastal management, their visions for their MPAs, and their end goals through the 3-year strategic plan.
On its second day, the participants formed an MPA Management Council tasked to create working committees on law enforcement, monitoring and evaluation, information education campaigns, fund sourcing, and livelihood and ecotourism, facilitated by BPEMO’s information officer Charity Asutilla.
BPEMO, with LGU Calape, will host another two-day MPA reorganization meeting and strategic planning workshop on April 25 to 26, 2023, with four Calape Barangays: Mantatao, San Isidro, Liboron, and Sta. Cruz.
Coastal and Marine protection is part of the Provincial Government of Bohol’s Strategic Change and Development Agenda, which aims to implement more sound environmental programs that address the Province’s environmental issues and enhance Marine Biodiversity. After the reorganization meeting, BPEMO hopes more municipalities will take coastal management seriously and help protect threatened marine ecosystems from harmful human activity. (PIMO/GMC)
