Verde Island Passage
October 03, 2008
The Verde Island Passage has been dubbed as the "Center of the Center" of marine shorefish biodiversity according to a study made by Dr. Kent Carpenter of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and Dr. Victor Springer of the Smithsonian Institution. This Passage covers portions of the coastal waters of Batangas, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque and Romblon.
Since December 2004, First Gen has been working in partnership with First Philippine Conservation, Inc. (FPCI), Conservation International-Philippines (CI-P) and the local government of Batangas City in formulating and implementing a conservation and development program for the two marine protected areas of Batangas City that is located in Verde Island.
In 2006, the Center of the Center campaign was launched by the project partners together with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to raise public awareness about the Verde Island Passage and the impending need for concerted action.
No less than President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo responded with great urgency and called for the convening of a national conference on biodiversity. During that conference held on November 8, 2006, she signed Executive Order 578 ordering, among others, the creation of a multi-agency task force on Verde Island Passage with specific mandate of formulating an integrated management plan for the passage.
First Gen had made public its commitment of USD1.0 million that would be used by FPCI and CI-P to ensure that conservation work in the passage is implemented and sustained in partnership with the local community stakeholders. Beginning 2007, the project is expanding to cover marine protected areas in the island municipality of Tingloy, Batangas and the Apo Reef Natural Park (ARNP). More partners will be engaged such as the Coastal Conservation and Education Foundation (CCEF), Nagkakaisang Bantay Dagat ng Tingloy, and the Protected Area Management Board of ARNP.
In the next three years, the following outcomes have been targeted with FPCI as the lead implementer and coordinator:
1. Eight (8) Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Verde Island Passage and four (4) designated conservation areas within ARNP are established and delineated based on sound scientific criteria and stakeholder consultations;
2. These MPAs are managed sustainably by its direct stakeholders through coastal resources management boards and other appropriate mechanisms;
3. Management and technical capability of direct stakeholders are strengthened through capability building initiatives including financial management and law enforcement;
4. Industry locators within the Verde Island Passage are engaged to adopt responsible and environment-friendly practices; and
5. Conservation-related information are gathered and publicized to increase public awareness and commitment.
Working closely with Dr. Kent Carpenter and the IUCN, a node of the Global Marine Species Assessment program will also be set up to coordinate the pioneering effort of identifying threatened marine species as part of the "red listing" process.
For those interested to know more about the project or how to help, email your queries to csr@firstgen.com.ph
Photos in this article courtesy of Sammy Ang.
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