The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has set aside P25 million from its budget to boost biodiversity-friendly enterprises in coastal communities next year.
Director Theresa Mundita S. Lim of the Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) said Secretary Roy A. Cimatu has approved the proposal, dubbed “Financial Assistance for Biodiversity Enterprise Project”, under the Coastal and Marine Ecosystem Management Program of the DENR-BMB.
“Next year we can provide financial assistance for communities for their biodiversity-friendly enterprises,” Lim told the BusinessMirror in an interview.
According to Lim, the P25-million funding will be a big boost to promote awareness about biodiversity protection and conservation in coastal areas.
She said funding will be channeled through non-governmental organizations or people’s organizations for ongoing initiatives of coastal communities.
This is the first time that the DENR-BMB engages in such activity.
Coastal Resource Management programs are often focused on increasing fish catch to boost income of municipal fishermen and are mostly implemented by the Department of Agriculture—Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
“For the first time, we can now provide financial assistance for small enterprises in coastal communities that focus on the conservation of coastal and marine biodiversity,” Lim said.
She added the fund will go a long way in encouraging coastal communities to enhance their ongoing biodiversity initiatives.
The DENR-BMB targets only communities with ongoing protection and conservation programs, she said.
Lim added the DENR-BMB previously provided technical assistance and capacity building. “Now, we are fortunate because we can actually help the communities financially,” she said.
Lim added they are looking at communities with multitropic aquaculture or farming as potential program beneficiaries.
“We are looking at multilevel conservation impact to the ecosystem. For instance, raising grouper fish with abalone or sea cucumber that eats up waste. There should be close level of farming. Not just one species. Also, the criteria is to avoid the use of one type of feeds because it is not good,” Lim explained.
Lim said, with the funding, the DENR-BMB hopes to boost biodiversity-friendly enterprises that will deviate from traditional aquaculture practices.
In aquaculture, traditional practice involves feeding. “Excessive feeding results in algal bloom. We want to promote biodiversity-friendly aquaculture,” she added.
Lim said the DENR-BMB will be working to refine the guidelines and set the criteria for
the project.
“We want to overlay this to areas that are climate-vulnerable, with high poverty incidence, and with high level of threats,” Lim said.
The Philippines, one of the megadiverse countries in the world, is also rich in coastal and marine biodiversity, but destructive human activities, such as commercial overfishing and destructive fishing methods have impacted on coastal communities with the depletion of fish stocks that result to dwindling fish catch.
Image credits: Lyn Resurreccion
1 comment
This is a very good program at last to help the Coastal Communities specially the area of Southeastern Samar covering 7 Municipalities (Lawaan, Balangiga, Giporlos, Quinapondan, Salcedo, Mercedes and Guiuan. Instead of catching and filing cases of Violators, sustainable livelihood assistance , I think, is the positive means to solve the problem. Thank you Jonathan for the positive Feedback. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/863dffccd127758b911f83306646acf37b2cc64429349b8425a8ae8475ed5428.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/dfc85d9981540e0f3359efb7e3e0cdc3db7b64240093c2a568e976e5c223d5b8.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0531e48fb007793e11cbf3c8396b39d7bcf0038027e4e677b5c52e6cdcacde7b.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/07b6728e4bac43f3e15a5fdb0dad639f025271c053d5b449f5911a118b74e44b.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a03e684d131b1755a6540b525ea38da546087da3a242638fab172d06eafa3edc.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d5dd7ce6a5bde9da1c51f12c7235feb2ff0cc8a75521bd9e7501b9ead7d4affc.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c022ea5917a315ce8bf16fc67e1250ff68b3ade4328007d3ddd7a5791f5591cd.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/80615832addff0f4d900c17649702edf6c3b683a37ed26e7b8bea14103fec736.jpg God bless!!