Philippines
Capital:
Manila
Land Area:
298,170km²
Inland Water Area:
1,830km²
Length of Coastline:
36,289km
A global center of marine diversity, an archipelago with more than 7,100 islands, and one of the longest coastlines in the world, the Philippines provides visitors with access to all that is wondrous and beautiful about the ocean and coastal resources, as well as insights into the challenges to sustainable development and management of those very resources. The country is confronted with the enormous challenge of finding a suitable path to food security, sustainable livelihood, poverty alleviation and reduction of vulnerability to natural hazards, while protecting ecological integrity and strengthening economic growth. Responding to this challenge, integrated coastal management (ICM) has emerged, through practice, as a better alternative in the governance of coastal and marine areas. In as much as the Philippines is an ocean-dependent country, application of ICM is of vital importance to the country’s long-term social and economic development.
The issuance of Executive Order (EO) 533 on 6 June 2006 adopting ICM as the policy framework for the sustainable development of the coastal and marine environment and resources is considered a significant milestone in the long history of coastal management in the Philippines. An ICM Bill filed at the Senate and House of Representatives, which captures the provisions of the EO, aims to institutionalize ICM through the enactment of the Bill into ICM Act.
In 2013, PEMSEA assisted the DENR to draft a National ICM Program for Sustainable Development of the Coastal and Marine Environment and Resources of the Philippines, as mandated by EO 533. The program targeted developing and implementing effective ICM programs in partnership with local governments, covering more than 20% of the country’s coastline over the next 5 years. In 2015, the Philippine Government signed the Da Nang Compact along with 10 other East Asian countries, committing to scale up ICM to cover 25% of the regional coastline . An independent Third-Party Assessment (TPA) was conducted in 2017 to objectively evaluate ICM program coverage in the country, to benchmark the ICM processes and controls that have been established in selected provinces and municipalities against the requirements of PEMSEA’s ICM Code, and to provide guidance on the standardization, streamlining and strengthening the national ICM program. The results of the TPA has confirmed the Philippines achievement in ICM scaling up where the assessment of 32 coastal provinces (out of 64) covered an estimated coastline of 9.747 km or 26.85% of the Philippine coastline.
With a view of promoting convergence and collaboration among concerned agencies and related programs at various scales, the Philippines through DENR has established partnerships for: a) the joint protection of the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion with Indonesia and Malaysia in partnership with GIZ; b) collaboration with the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute for the Philippine Rise Initiative; c) implementing the GEF/UNDP- SMARTSeas Project; d) the multilateral partnership for the Coral Triangle Initiative; and e) managing Key Biodiversity Areas of Southeast Asia in partnership with the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity. Through EO 510, the DENR has developed the Integrated River Basin Development and Management Framework, which provides the blueprint for protecting the country’s priority river basins by reducing pollution and ensuring the sustainable supply of clean and safe water for all.
Focal Points:
Atty. Analiza Rebuelta-Teh (National Focal Point)
Undersecretary for Finance, Information Systems and Climate Change, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)
Ms. Jeslina Gorospe
Chief, Project Monitoring and Evaluation Division, Foreign-Assisted and Special Projects Service (FASPS), DENR
c/o Ms. Khasmer Marbella
Project Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, FASPS, DENR
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
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PEMSEA eBulletin - September 2024
Dear PEMSEA community,
Welcome to the September e-bulletin!
With just over a month to go until the East Asian Seas Congress, we are excited to unveil our lineup of global and regional experts who will lead various technical sessions and plenary discussions. The opening ceremony will feature Mr. Vidar Helgesen, Executive Secretary of IOC-UNESCO and Assistant Secretary-General of UNESCO, alongside Dr. Vann Monyneath, Chair of the EAS Partnership Council, Ministers and senior leaders of PEMSEA country and non-country partners.
As the EASC returns to Xiamen, discover how the Congress has evolved and thrived over three decades, paralleling the city’s own journey toward promoting sustainable and resilient blue economy.
This month, PEMSEA representatives are taking the stage at various workshops and events across the globe. PEMSEA Executive Director Aimee Gonzales participated in the Marine Spatial Planning Cooperation Workshop of Maritime Silk Road Partner Countries held in Beijing, China, on 26 September 2024 where she emphasized the importance of integrating coastal management mechanisms with area-based management tools to meet global biodiversity targets.
Ms. Nancy Bermas, Regional Project Manager of the UNDP/GEF/ASEAN Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) Project, attended the 10th Biennial International Waters Conference (IWC10) in Punta del Este, Uruguay, from 23-26 September 2024, where she delivered a pitch on the IRBM Project’s experience in establishing governance mechanisms at both regional and basin levels.
While Ms. Gusung Lee, PEMSEA Technical Advisor was in Bangkok, Thailand to represent PEMSEA in a panel discussion on regional and subregional instruments, frameworks and bodies (IFBs) at the Workshop for North-East and South-East Asia on the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), held from 16-20 September 2024. She discussed PEMSEA’s experience in Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) and Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) as essential tools to manage land-sea use interaction which would be vital in extending protection and sustainable management of biodiversity in the high seas.
From the field, we share the latest updates on the UNDP/GEF/ASEAN IRBM project which held a dialogue with indigenous leaders in the Province of Pampanga on 17 September 2024. The Marine Plastics Project local partners in Dipolog City and Bulan, Sorsogon in the Philippines participated in the International Coastal Cleanup on 21 September 2024.
In other news, PEMSEA and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) have renewed their partnership on biodiversity conservation and marine habitat protection and restoration through a five-year Letter of Cooperation, signed on 20 September 2024, by their respective Executive Directors Aimee Gonzales and Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim.
From the ATSEA-2 Project, check out the recent publication of six key scientific studies focused on marine conservation and sustainable development in the Arafura and Timor Seas.
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PEMSEA eBulletin - August 2024
Dear PEMSEA community,
Welcome to the August e-bulletin!
We have a little over 60 days before EAS Congress 2024 kicks off! Do check out the messages from Dr. Vann Monyneath, Chair of the EAS Partnership Council, alongside key officials Sun Shuxian, Vice Minister of Natural Resources, and Huang Wenhui, Mayor of Xiamen, inviting the global ocean community to join us in this triennial event to foster stronger regional collaboration in ocean governance and management.
This month’s bulletin also features the winners of the “Humans of East Asian Seas” challenge which we launched last year to commemorate PEMSEA’s 30th anniversary. Thirty local champions of coastal and marine conservation across the region were selected, with the top three profiled in this bulletin in recognition of their contributions in promoting sustainable coastal development, namely: Ms. Masako Bannai Otsuka of Japan, Mr. Prak Visal of Cambodia, and Dr. Wang Jinhe of China.
We also want to inform you about the new features on the SEA Knowledge Bank platform. The revamped platform now includes an e-library of scientific publications, an interactive map of Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) sites, and new resources from ongoing projects.
Local government officials from Tangerang Regency, Indonesia, recently completed an ICM study tour in Batangas City, Philippines. The visit, held from 30 July to 1 August 2024, facilitated LGU to LGU knowledge exchange on sustainable coastal practices and management strategies.
The GEF/UNDP/ASEAN River Basin Project organized a Regional Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Workshop in Bogor City, Indonesia, on 6-7 August 2024. The workshop brought together participants from seven river basins in ASEAN member states to discuss regional GESI analysis, develop stakeholder maps, and improve capacity for mainstreaming GESI principles in river basin management programs.
In other updates, a recent PEMSEA study reveals growing interest in Blue Carbon Ecosystems (BCEs) across the East Asian Seas region. BCE projects, focusing on mangroves, seagrasses, and other critical habitats, are advancing efforts in conservation, research, and restoration.
From the ATSEA-2 Project, global experts convened in Bali, Indonesia for the Global Dialogue on Sustainable Ocean Development with ATSEA-2 Regional Project Manager, Dr. Handoko Adi Susanto representing ATSEA/PEMSEA in the dialogue.
The 2024 EAS Congress will be hosted by China in Xiamen from 6-8 November 2024. It is organized through a partnership between the Ministry of Natural Resources of China, the Xiamen Municipal People’s Government, and PEMSEA.
The event will take place in conjunction with Xiamen World Ocean Week, featuring the city's commitment to sustainable ocean management and regional collaboration.
For more information, visit the 2024 EAS Congress website.
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PEMSEA NETWORK OF LEARNING CENTERS (PNLC) 2024 Executive Committee Meeting Proceedings
The document contains the proceedings from the PNLC Executive Committee (EC) held 22 July 2024 in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines.
The meeting was participated in by the President and Vice-President of the PNLC, the PEMSEA Executive Director the PNLC Secretariat from IPB and the PEMSEA Resource Facility. The agenda included:
· Review of the PNLC Workplan
· PNLC Secretariat Turnover MOA to CCMRS-IPB
· Updates and plans on PNLC Financial Sustainability Efforts
· New PNLC Membership Applications
· PNLG-PNLC Joint Session at the EAS Congress 2024
· 4th PNLC General Assembly AgendaThe meeting was organized jointly by the PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF) and the Center for Coastal and Marine Resources Studies (CCMRS) of the IPB University, Indonesia with support from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Philippines.