CALATAGAN, Batangas— Active community participation goes a long way in marine and coastal conservation. That is true at least in this small fishing community.
It was in late 2009 when the Calatagan Mangrove Development Association (CALMADA) headed by founding president Mr. Virgilio Enriquez started a mangrove nursery in Bgy. Balibago located at the mainland.
The lush mangroves in the area is a stark contrast to the coastline’s condition back in the 1990s—back when the mangroves were heavily cut for charcoal and people converted huge tracks land to commercial fishponds to rake in profits in the short-term.
Massive cutting of mangroves occurred in between the 1990s and mid-2000s when the community cut down mangroves for charcoal and to establish fish ponds, thus heavily decreasing the mangrove areas. Coupled with unsustainable and illegal fishing practices, this led to dwindling fish catch, narrated Virgil Enriquez, founding president of the Calatagan Mangrove Development Association (CALMADA).
“People will stay for hours into the sea just to get half a kilo of fish, mostly juveniles,” said Enriquez.
The introduction of marine resource rehabilitation, a joint project by the Conservation International and the regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the local organizations CALMADA and Youth Environment Society (YES) of Balibago, reversed the sorry state of the dwindling fish catch in the area.
“The mangroves serve as nursery for small fishes. When the mangroves were removed from the coastline, the community saw the economic consequence of that as shown with their dwindling fish catch,” said Dr. Luis Bravo, chief of the Coastal and Marine Management Division, DENR-CALABARZON Region.
Numerous studies including a report published by the University of Exeter noted that coral reef fish are twice as abundant when they are adjacent to mangrove forests than coral reefs which are not, underscoring the interdependence between these habitats.
For example, fish born in the coral reefs go to the seagrass beds as they start out and once they grow and find it hard to hide from bigger predators there, they move into the mangroves that offer them hiding places from predators and abundant food. Once they are big enough, they go back to the reef and co-exist with other marine animals in the reefs.
The same study found that at least one species, the rainbow parrotfish (Scarus guacamaia), depends on mangroves for survival.
Through education and training, the locals saw the importance of mangroves in keeping a sustainable and abundant fish stock for their livelihood and sustenance.
Enriquez, together with elder fishermen in the area, grouped together to form CALMADA, a local people’s organization, which now handles the mangrove nursery and reforestation of the coastline of Bgy. Balibago including an islet with a sandbar named Ang Pulo (The Island).
Together with the youth people’s organizations composed of local youth leaders and children of the fisher folks, they were able to reforest some 500 hectares of the coastline in Bgy. Balibago and Ang Pulo between 2009 and 2012. For the next three years, they aim to reforest an additional five hectares,particularly targeting the “bald spots” in the coastline.
Through a funding of P500,000 from Conservation International, the community was able to establish mangrove nurseries and a kilometer-long boardwalk that traverses the nursery area to the mangrove patch near the islet.
The cooperative established under the people’s organization sells each one-year-old seedling for P20 apiece. To date, the group has supplied 120,000 seedlings to reforest the mangrove area in their village, as well as sell it to nearby areas as well.
Part of the proceeds from the sale of mangrove seedlings were earned by nursery keepers and mangrove farmers, while another half is pooled by the organization to sustain its livelihood projects and as emergency fund for members, explained Enriquez.
During the celebration of the Coral Triangle Day on June 9, the people’s organization, together with volunteers from different environment organizations, planted some 1,000 mangrove seedlings in the islet. They also cleaned the coastal area and signed the pledge to support coastal and marine conservation, as the Philippines form part of the countries in the Coral Triangle.
Director Mundita Lim of the Coastal and Marine Management Office of the Protected Area and Wildlife Bureau and Ms. Jessica Muñoz of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources represented the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Agriculture, respectively.
They lauded the efforts of the municipal government and CALMADA in training the youthon mangrove reforestation and coastal protection.
“It is good that they are being prepared to be the next generation of environmental stewards,” Lim said.
The building blocks for the success of the project were active community participation, coupled with best practices in technology transfer for mangrove reforestaton and efficient is using financial aid for core programs, said Dr. Bravo.
The barangay, the basic unit of organization in the country, is where grassroots conservation should begin. This way, the community has a hands-on experience and they take the responsibility to care for the resources knowing that it affects their community and adjacent communities as well.
By engaging the community as stewards of the environment, Dr. Bravo said that they took it upon themselves to continue the project that integrates the rehabilitation of three connected ecosystems: mangroves, seagrasses and the coral reef.
To this, the members of CALMADA vowed to keep the mangrove forests healthy as an act of amending their past actions that almost drove the mangrove forests into bare coastlines.
“We will continue to reforest the area and keep our mangroves healthy. We will do this until we get old to rectify our past actions and as a legacy to our children who will also fish in the area in the future,” said Enriquez.
At present, CALMADA and YES of Balibago are looking into hosting ecotours for visitors and researchers who want to know the best practices in mangrove reforestation. The group also supplies mangrove seedlings for reforestation of nearby towns in the province.
Photo by PNEJ member, ANNA VALMERO.
Anna Valmero
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