Integrating climate change and disaster risk scenarios into coastal land and sea use planning in Manila Bay

DESCRIPTION:

One of the key issues facing governments throughout the East Asian Seas (EAS) region is the impact of climate change, variability and extremes, particularly in coastal areas. Manila Bay is no exception, with incidents of flooding, storm surges, saltwater intrusion and erosion occurring with increasing frequency or heightened intensity. Of special concern is the threat of sea level rise in the Bay area and its effects on infrastructure as well as social and economic development in the area. The Manila Declaration, which was signed by the Ministers and Senior Government Officials from the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) Partner Countries in December 2009, called for countries of the region to strengthen and accelerate the implementation of integrated coastal management (ICM) for sustainable development and climate change adaptation in coastal areas of the region. In Manila Bay, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) – River Basin Coordinating Office (RBCO), Coastal and Marine Management Office (CMMO) and Manila Bay Coordinating Office (MBCO), and PEMSEA have been working with local government units (LGUs) to scale up the implementation of ICM around the Bay’s coastline, building on the experience of ICM programs in the Provinces of Bataan and Cavite. One of the major thrusts of ICM development and implementation is the preparation of an integrated land and sea use plan. This calls for the conduct of coastal use zoning, which will serve as a guide in the preparation of a plan and regulatory system to allocate the appropriate zones and corresponding uses of the coastal and marine area. Coastal use zoning is based on the functional capability and suitability of coastal waters and land as to the desired uses, the development envisioned by the stakeholders, existing policies and ecological, cultural and traditional considerations. The zoning process is a socio-political matter requiring scientific and technical inputs, involving multi-sector participation and extensive consultation with concerned stakeholders in order to reach consensus on the various zones and their corresponding uses. A major gap in previous meetings and consultations concerning the sustainable development of Manila Bay is the lack of existing and projected impacts of climate change, variability and extremes on the area. Similarly, inputs to the development of integrated land and sea use plans by the local governments in Bataan and Cavite have been lacking guidance and information on changes that are expected to occur because of sea level rise, as well as other potential impacts of climate change (e.g., more intense rainfall or more intense storms). To address this gap, “macro-scale” land and sea use zones for Manila Bay will be prepared with a specific focus on the different scenarios for sea level rise, flooding and storm surges as a consequence of climate change, variability and extremes in the coastal areas over the next 50 years. This document will provide information on climate change, variability and extremes and sea level rise, as inputs to the coastal land and sea use planning and zoning along the Manila Bay area. The physical boundaries of the coastal area to which the Coastal Land and Water Use Plan applies is governed by the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 (Republic Act 8550).