Changing climate marine protection project Murciellagos Bay, Mindanao

Murciellagos Bay on the Northern coast of Mindanao, Southern Philippines is a major fishing ground known for its biological diversity and productivity. The bay is covered with extensive inter-tidal sea grass meadows that are still in relatively good condition, coral reefs ranging from poor to good in status and mangrove forests. Wildlife includes, amongst others, diverse reef fish communities and various species of sea cucumbers, molluscs and occasional sea turtles. Continued extraction /exploitation of the Bay's resources has degraded its resource base rendering certain parts of the Bay already over-fished and the rest facing the same danger if resource management measures are not put in place. Declining income due to declining catches affects the ability of the fishers to meet the basic needs of their families. A 6-months project with a small grant from IUCN NL/SWP that ended September 2006 assisted to revitalize and rekindle the commitment, participation, and cooperation for wetland management and protection within a certain segments of the Bay. However, a follow-up of this project is urgently needed to consolidate these results and to ensure bay-wide management, including the (re)establishment of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and improved management of these. The overall goal of the proposed 10-months project to the Robust Ecosystems Project/Climate Fund is to mitigate the impact of global climate change in Murciellagos Bay for long-term ecological and economic security of the fishers/resource users. Activities and expected results include: 1. Resource management enhancement Activities include MPAs re-establishment, strengthening& expansion, sanctuary and non-sanctuary fish stock assessment, gears assessment & zoning, fish catch monitoring, integrated volunteer sea patrol, and community-based resource assessment & inventory. Results expected include 90 hectares of fully demarcated sanctuaries with at least 100 meters buffer zones; at least 100 hectares community-managed sanctuaries; increased stocks and density of reef fishes in MPAs; reduced and regulated gears and fish catches; conservation of endangered species (e.g. green sea turtles), fishing zones established; fishery ordinance violators penalized; resource assessment data utilized in community planning. 2. Social awareness and mobilization Activities include consolidation of federated fishers/resource users organization, community awareness seminars on wetland, MPAs & climate change, production of IEC popular materials, and Fishers Ban Period Caravan Festival . Results expected: federated members expansion, increased awareness on wetland conservation & environmental issues, reactivated or new sectoral formations in other site-focused areas, and increased community vigilance against marine destructive activities. 3. Advocacy and networking Activities include fishers-stakeholders dialogues and conference, lobbying for livelihood & technology assistance, meetings representation and learning sites visits. Results expected: accredited and represented in LGU council meetings, integration of resource management agenda in development plans, resolution of resource-based conflicts, resource use collections and allocation in coastal resource management; livelihood assistance generated from support agencies, project tie-ups with new partners and application of environment-friendly technologies.