Broadening the constituency for lake conservation and sustainability

Taal Lake is the Philippines' deepest and third largest lake, yet very few initiatives have been undertaken for its conservation. Major threats to the lake include overexploitation of fish resources by large-scale illegal fishers, inappropriate development of tourism, settlements on the Tagaytay ridge area, solid waste and agricultural runoff. In the past decade, floating cage culture of Oreochromis nilotica increased from about 1,500 cages to 10,000, likely threatening the endemic species and causing pollution from excess feed and discarded bags that held the feeds. Despite the relatively high economic status of the province, around 3000 people around the Taal lake engaged in catch fisheries are being pushed to poverty levels by the intrusion of unregulated aquaculture and the entrance of large-scale commercial fishing in the last decade. Three lakewide institutions authorised by different laws, the local governments of 9 towns and 2 cities and a provincial government, all attempting to exercise jurisdiction, resulted in a confused management regime. The only long-term institution that has never wavered in its lake protection activities is a lakewide community-based organisation of small fisherfolk called the Kilusan ng Maliliit na Mangingisda sa Lawa ng Taal (KMMLT). Despite the confusion in governance, the KMMLT advocated and won victories on several fronts. At their instance, obstructive fish cages on the only outlet of the lake were dismantled, many illegal fishers faced conviction and Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Councils on the municipal, provincial and lakewide levels as provided under the Fisheries Code of 1998 were formed. With a small SWP grant of 3,500 Euro in 2003, the KMMLT was able to conduct 8 local chapter meetings, a council of leaders meeting and a General Congress attended by over a hundred members from around the lake. Membership was recorded for the first time, a new set of officers was elected, with three women in the highest position, and plans for the coming year were firmed up. The general objective of the current project is to jumpstart protected area management and reduction of immediate threats based on solid scientific findings and realisable objectives set through multi-stakeholder consultations. Specific objectives are: To provide both the PAMB and the KMMLT with baseline facts and technical advise for determining common management goals and prescriptions including fishery regulation and enforcement. To expand the PAMB to include participation from each village, from fisherfolk and from relevant government agencies such as the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and from the women's sector. To substantially reduce the major threats to the lake and particularly to the Sardinella tawilis from extensive fishcage culture, by directly engaging those involved in finding solutions to sustainability. Reduction of land-based threats to the lake ecosystem.

The project’s goal and objectives were met. The Protected Area Management Board has been reorganized and it has expanded to the constituency prescribed in the law, with a functioning Executive Committee and subcommittees. The required operational systems and management planning procedures set by the Executive and Subcommittees, are set to be approved by the PAMB just after project completion. While it remains to be seen whether these draft rules and procedures will be approved at a meeting scheduled for December 2006, there is every expectation that the working relationships built over the project term will ensure implementation and management sustainability. Destructive fishing methods such as suro as well as land based pollution have reduced, although there has been some recurrence of suro, with which the Mayors promised to deal with. There was perceptible biodiversity effect in the bumper harvest of tawilis already during the first year of the project term; a Lake Biodiversity Monitoring System on the other hand has yet to be materialized. The participation of the KMMLT in the Protected Area Management Board greatly enhanced the power of the local fishermen.