Organizers of the 2017 Para El Mar Awards and Recognition have released the top 14 nominees for the Most Outstanding Marine Protected Area Award this year.
Making it to the top 14 are the Agsalin Fish Sanctuary in Gloria, Oriental Mindoro; Tres Marias Marine Sanctuary in El Nido, Palawan; Agay-ayan and Caloco Integrated Marine and Coastal Wetland Sanctuary in Tinambac, Camarines Sur; Calatagan Pyramid Artificial Reef Marine Protected Area in Calatagan, Batangas; Ayoke Island Marine Protected Area in Cantilan, Surigao del Sur; Uba Marine Protected Area in Cortes, Surigao del Sur; Lanuza Marine Park Sanctuary in Lanuza, Surigao del Sur; Kamanga Marine Ecotourism Park and Sanctuary in Maasim, Saranggani; Sanipaan Marine Park in Samal Island, Davao del Norte; Mantalip Marine Reserve in Bindoy, Negros Oriental; Barangay Ermita Marine Protected Area or Camotes Reef in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental; Iniban Marine Protected Area in Ayungon, Negros Oriental; Sinandigan Marine Sanctuary in Ubay, Bohol; and Buntod Reef Marine Sanctuary in Masbate City, Masbate.
The annual Para El Mar awards, which means “For the Seas,” gives recognition to best practices in the management of marine-protected areas (MPAs). The 2017 awarding is the sixth for the prestigious award.
The Marine Protected Areas Support Network (MSN), through its secretariat, the UP Marine Science Institute, in cooperation with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-Coastal and Marine Ecosystems Management Program, aims to showcase the country’s best performing MPAs to serve as a model for existing and soon-to-be established MPAs.
“It is part of a performance-based incentive mechanism to reinforce effective management and good, science-based governance,” MSN said in a statement.
The DENR supports the establishment of locally managed MPAs to boost the protection and conservation of coastal and marine biodiversity, including their habitats.
According to the DENR-Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB), there are 240 protected areas in the Philippines, 70 of which are MPAs. There are also 1,751 local MPAs established by various local government units (LGUs) nationwide.
Besides ensuring the protection and conservation of coastal marine biodiversity, locally managed MPAs—which includes fish sanctuaries, mangrove forests, seagrass beds and coral reefs—are known to boost the income and livelihood of coastal communities through increased fish catch and ecotourism.
The awarding of this year’s winners will be held at the Iloilo Convention Center in Iloilo City on October 19 and 20.
Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu and Sen. Loren B. Legarda are expected to grace the occasion. The MPAs that made it as this year’s finalist are locally managed and backed by local ordinances.
Besides the 14 finalists for the locally managed MPA Category, eight are finalists for National Integrated Protected Areas System sites and three for MPA Networks.
Two MPAs will also be given a special recognition for their exemplary performance in introducing and consistently promoting best practices.
The two-day program will start with presentations from the LGUs of the finalists for all categories, followed by the launching of the DENR’s Biodiversity Resources Information Network Group-Hub of People and Environment, and the Department of Science and Technology-funded Biodiversity Research and Information Network Group-Hub of Marine Ecosystems.
This is a joint collaborative undertaking of the two projects to link science to policy and action for resiliency and knowledge systems. MSN has over 20 organizations coordinated by the Marine Environment and Resources Foundation Inc. and the support foundation of the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute.