IT was a piece of good news. I received an email from the NGOs for Fisheries Reform (NFR) that the House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a measure establishing marine protected areas (MPAs) and preserving existing ones in all coastal towns and cities nationwide. Deputy Speaker Lorenzo Tañada III is the principal author of House Bill 57 that will be known as the “Marine and Coastal Resources Protection Act of 2011.” It will provide for the establishment, maintenance and management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in all coastal areas and will ensure the participation of the community through a management scheme that accommodates all the stakeholders. An MPA is any specific area that has been reserved by law or other effective means and is governed by specific rules or guidelines to manage activities and protect part or the entire closed coastal and marine environment. There are different MPA classifications such as marine parks, marine reserves, marine refuges and marine sanctuaries. (Ecogov2)

Why is there a need to establish MPAs? One is to lessen threats to marine biodiversity. Our country is considered as a marine biodiversity hotspot and because of this natural wealth, there is a prevalence of destructive fishing practices such as muro-ami and dynamite and cyanide fishing. Illegal wildlife trade hounds our marine waters as the huge cache of the valuable black corals and stuffed turtles that were recently confiscated is still fresh in our memory. Thus, MPAs sustain fisheries utilization in adjacent fishing areas and protect and conserve ecosystems and their rich variety of associated organisms. They also provide habitat and protection to large and reproductively mature individuals of various marine species and are important sources of eggs and larvae that may settle in areas even outside the protected area.

According to Ecogov2 Project, an MPA site is chosen for having a high number and various kinds of marine life and/or because it serves a special ecological function like spawning and/or feeding ground for one or more marine species. An ideal MPA is large enough to include sections from all critical habitats such as coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangroves or other habitats as they are interconnected to provide benefits to each other.

MPAs benefit our coastal communities by protecting habitats of fisheries allowing them to grow bigger. Once adult fishes leave the MPAs (also known as the spillover effect), local fishers can catch bigger and heavier fishes. Although the positive effect could not be seen immediately, the constant recruitment of fishery populations within the area will significantly lead to fisheries recovery in the declared site and adjacent areas. MPAs also generate income for local government units (LGU) through ecotourism that also directly benefits local communities.

According to the Fisheries Code of 1998, LGUs may set aside at least 15 percent, where applicable, of their total coastal areas for MPAs. Scientifically, an MPA should at least be 20 hectares or the larger the better, for it to make an environmental and economic difference.

There are over 1,000 MPAs in the country and their establishment has been shown as one of the most effective coastal resource management tools. However, their rate of sustainability is somewhat low because of the lack of LGU support in financing and technical assistance. Where there is LGU support, management effectiveness of MPAs increased from 10 percent to 30 percent. It is then very important for LGUs to invest in MPAs to ensure robust fisheries for their municipalities that will result into wise use of funds and perpetual economic and ecological benefits to coastal communities.


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