Protected Areas in East Asia Rafael G. Senga Establishing Protected Areas in the : Emerging Trends, Challenges and Prospects

The Philippine Protected Areas System: An Overview he Philippines has always been considered one of the major biodi- versity hotspots in the world. For while it boasts of one of the high- est levels of diversity and endemicity of life forms and some of the Tmost unique habitats in the world, it is also home to some of the planet’s critically endangered species of wildlife, such as the Philippine eagle, one of the most magnificent raptors in the world and our country’s symbol of biodiversity conservation. The country’s habitats and ecosystems, which play a major role in maintaining ecological balance and in the day-to-day lives of Filipinos, are in constant threat, mainly from unwise resource use and devel- opment paradigms that tend to increase pressure on the world’s already scarce resources. The recent book Megadiversity by Russell Mittermeier of Conservation International, which documents the world’s seventeen most important countries in terms of biodiversity, concludes that the Philippines belong to the top five biodiversity hotspots in the world. In view of these reasons, the There are more than 200 pro- Philippine government, in coopera- tected areas in the Philippines, tion with the public and international ranging from large natural parks, to donors, embarked on a mission to landscapes and seascapes, to wildlife establish a system of protected areas sanctuaries and small watersheds that in the country. The last remaining form the initial components of the representatives of Philippine habitats NIPAS Act. Of these, however, less and ecosystems were set aside for than a quarter receive some form of conservation through innovative ap- protection, either through foreign proaches spelled out in the National funding or local initiatives. This is Integrated Protected Areas System because after the passage of the NI- (NIPAS) Act of 1992, a landmark PAS Act, very little money was allo- piece of legislation which provides cated by the government to effec- the framework for a decentralized, tively manage these reserves. community-based reserve manage- Currently, two major projects are ment strategy. piloting the implementation of the

56 The George Wright FORUM Protected Areas in East Asia

Figure 1. General location of some of the protected areas mentioned in the text.

NIPAS Act: the Conservation of Pri- National Integrated Protected Areas ority Protected Areas Project, a Project, a five-year undertaking seven-year initiative funded by the funded by the European Union. Global Environment Facility (GEF) While the two projects share the through the World Bank, and the same broad objectives of biodiversity

Volume 18 • Number 2 2001 57 Protected Areas in East Asia conservation and sustainable devel- endemicity and is a major flyway opment, they differ in their modes of for migratory birds from northern implementation. While the National Asia. Integrated Protected Areas Project is · Northern Sierra Madre Natural being implemented by a European Park—the largest and most im- consulting firm in partnership with portant protected area in the government, the Conservation of country in terms of biodiversity. It Priority Protected Areas Project is is home to 12 habitat types and 40 being implemented through an ex- species of wildlife (most of them perimental partnership between the endemic) included in the IUCN Philippine government and the pub- list of globally threatened species. lic. The former is represented by the · Subic-Bataan Natural Park —the Department of Environment and major protected area nearest to Natural Resources (DENR), while Manila and a test case to demon- civil society participation is done strate how the nation’s economic through the NGOs for Integrated development can take place suc- Protected Areas (NIPA), a consor- cessfully alongside the conserva- tium of Philippine nongovernmental tion of the country’s last re- organizations (NGOs) bonded to- maining forests. gether by a common vision of estab- · Apo Reef Natural Park—the big- lishing protected areas that are sus- gest atoll-type reef in the Philip- tainably managed by local communi- pines and a natural haven for ma- ties in collaboration with govern- rine life, bird life, and a variety of ment. Although the partnership got endangered plants. off to a rocky start, it has since · Mount Kanlaon Natural Park —an evolved into a viable model of coop- active volcano and the tallest peak eration between two important seg- in the Visayas group of islands, ments of society working towards the which is also a microcosm of the common goal of biodiversity conser- fragmented state of Philippine vation. ecosystems. The Conservation of Priority · Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctu- Protected Areas Project covers the ary—the most biologically diverse first ten priority reserves in the sys- marshland in the country, where tem: more than 200 species of birds · Batanes Protected Landscapes and from Japan, China, and Russia Seascapes—the northernmost spend the winter months. province of the Philippines, · Mount Kitanglad Range Natural composed of scenic islands and Park—the second highest peak in beautiful seascapes inhabited by the country and the headwater the indigenous Ivatans peoples. It catchment area for the major riv- has a high level of floral ers of northern ; home 58 The George Wright FORUM Protected Areas in East Asia to the Talaandig, Higaonon, and NGOs, and indigenous cultural tribes, as well as the communities. It is the highest policy- Philippine eagle. making body in Philippine protected · Siargao Islands Protected Land- areas and the venue for democratic scapes and Seascapes—a surfer’s participation of all sectors with a paradise with an extensive system stake in the effective management of of old-growth mangrove stands these reserves. The structure may be and rich marine reserves. cumbersome and unwieldy at times, · Natural Park—the but, through time, we strongly be- country’s tallest peak and host to a lieve that the PAMBs will evolve into diverse variety of endemic flora effective stewards of our country’s and fauna, including the Philip- last repositories of biodiversity—a pine eagle, and home to numerous monumental responsibility to the indigenous cultural communities. whole of humankind. · Turtle Islands Wildlife Sanctu- In five years of implementing this ary—the only remaining large trailblazing project, NIPA and its marine turtle rookery in all of partners have established a founda- Southeast Asia. tion for models in different aspects of protected area management that The project employs a multi- could be replicated in the other pro- stakeholder approach among gov- tected areas of the Philippines and ernment, local communities, NGOs, possibly in other parts of the world. the scientific community, the private sector, and international partners. It Community-Based is anchored on a community-based Resource Management resource management strategy which Resource management plan- seeks to empower local communities ning. In the area of community- residing inside and within the buffer based resource management, a viable zones of parks to manage their own alternative model is taking shape resources and become active partners with the active participation of local in protected area management. Pro- communities in drawing up resource viding alternative livelihood oppor- management plans and creating local tunities and improving tenurial secu- resource management structures. rity of park residents are integral Community volunteers take part components of this strategy. right from the very start of the proc- Participatory management in each ess, such as in socioeconomic pro- park is ensured through the Pro- filing and natural resource invento- tected Area Management Board ries. In the case of Mount Kanlaon, (PAMB), a multi-sectoral body com- for example, local herbalist and posed of representatives from gov- wildlife experts from communities ernment, peoples’ organizations, inside the park were considered as Volume 18 • Number 2 2001 59 Protected Areas in East Asia important members of the resource long haul. inventory team owing to their famili- These DENR-deputized volun- arity with the native flora and fauna teer groups conduct regular patrol and their use to communities. The work within the vicinity of their scientific integrity of the exercise is communities, establish checkpoints ensured by the biologists and other in hotspot areas, apprehend violators technical experts of the project. and confiscate illegally gathered for- Community resource maps are est and aquatic products, and main- then drawn up which serve as one tain a community-based surveillance important basis in the formulation of system that alerts the DENR and management plans. This particular other law enforcement agencies to challenge of marrying community park law violations. approaches and scientific method- Biodiversity monitoring system. ologies is in itself an important part A biodiversity monitoring system of the whole experiment. The prepa- which encourages community par- ration of site-specific protected area ticipation has also been installed. management plans (which is on-go- Although the more technical compo- ing) essentially follows the same par- nents of the system need further re- ticipatory procedure to ensure that, finement to maximize community at the end of the day, park managers participation, determining resource- will have management plans that are use patterns through focused-group implementable and that stakeholders discussions form an important part in can call their own. establishing trends or changes in biodiversity in a specific area. The Community resource protection results of the biodiversity monitoring volunteer groups. Local communi- system are intended for the use of ties are likewise actively involved in PAMBs and local government units the protection and monitoring of in making decisions related to re- biodiversity in their respective areas. source use and management. Presently, community resource pro- tection volunteer groups in Mount Decision-Making and the PAMBs Kanlaon, Mount Kitanglad, Bataan, On the whole, the Protected Area Apo Reef and Batanes—numbering Management Boards are gradually nearly a thousand strong—are on the evolving into dynamic forces as envi- front line of enforcing park laws side- sioned under a decentralized reserve by-side with park rangers. With a management regime. The complexity current ratio of one park ranger for of the set-up cannot be overempha- every 6,000 hectares of parkland, sized, though, with different sectors these local volunteers provide a vital advancing their own resource-use link in protection efforts over the interests often clashing. But that is

60 The George Wright FORUM Protected Areas in East Asia precisely the essence of it all: creating enforce the decision and prevented a mechanism that will distill ideas three hundred members of the fed- into decisions that all local eration from embarking on a poten- stakeholders can call their own. A tially destructive mass climb. Al- radical departure indeed from the old though this has temporarily set back system, in which decisions affecting a looming alliance with the moun- reserves in faraway places were made taineering community, a series of in Manila. dialogues is planned to renew coop- A key element to the success of eration with this important empowering the PAMB is ensuring stakeholder. Nevertheless, this par- the authenticity of sectoral represen- ticular experience showed that a de- tatives that sit on the board. Certain cision arrived through consensus representatives of dubious affiliation among major stakeholders is more served on some interim PAMBs binding and implementable. during their initial five-year term. After the lapse of the first term, NIPA Strengthening of Indigenous and its site partners made sure to put Structures and Traditional in place a selection process that pro- Knowledge Systems duces genuine sectoral representa- Cognizant of the important role tives. Through this, all stakeholders that indigenous cultural communities are now assured that their interests play in managing these reserves, the are advocated by representatives they project puts special focus on the re- can trust. The process of an en- vitalization of indigenous social hanced capability-building strategy structures and the enhancement of for the new PAMBs can now proceed traditional knowledge systems. In in earnest to better prepare them for Mount Kitanglad, for example, the the new challenges that lay ahead. Higaonon, Talaandig, and Bukidnon Very recently, the strength of this tribes are now enforcing their tradi- decision-making structure was put to tional laws and practices on all park a severe test in Mount Kanlaon. The visitors to ensure respect for the Mountaineering Federation of the cultural and biological integrity of Philippines was able to obtain a court the mountain they consider sacred. order to restrain the PAMB from Aside from securing necessary per- enforcing a two-year-old trekking mits from the protected area super- ban which had been put into place to intendent, visitors are required by let the trails recover from the ravages the Council of Elders, which the of the most recent El Niño event and project helped strengthen, to per- unregulated trekking in the past. Be- form rituals to seek permission from lieving in the wisdom and legitimacy the mountain spirits so that no unto- of the PAMB decision, community ward incidents happen to them. members took it upon themselves to Admittedly, it is still a long way Volume 18 • Number 2 2001 61 Protected Areas in East Asia before the process of harmonizing demic community has been contrib- traditional beliefs and practices with uting valuable staff time toward the protected area laws is completed. conduct of biological and social re- Currently, there is tension between search. Some NGOs, on the other the protected area superintendent’s hand, are funding livelihood activi- office and the Council of Elders re- ties aimed at creating alternatives that garding the management of Mount will ease pressure on park resources. Kitanglad, and this is actually one of More importantly, the high level of the major concerns being addressed cooperation between the DENR and by the project. But we believe that by MUAD (the local NGO implement- creating the right atmosphere for ing the Conservation of Priority dialogue and negotiation, the inher- Protected Areas Project in this par- ent strengths of the two systems will ticular reserve) has surmounted the eventually complement each other to atmosphere of distrust that usually create a viable model in managing characterizes government–NGO re- protected areas with indigenous lations. peoples. By its very nature as a consortium, NIPA has built-in mechanisms to Building Multi-Stakeholder draw from the strengths and capaci- Partnerships for Biodiversity ties of its NGO members, which are Conservation engaged in diverse activities such as The foundations of these models biodiversity conservation, rural de- and their future sustainability would velopment, livelihood and enterprise not be possible without the multi- development, rural finance, gender stakeholder partnerships established issues, and indigenous cultural by NIPA at the local and interna- community concerns, among others. tional levels. Although efforts need further At the reserve level, the partner- streamlining to improve the involve- ships already exist (albeit at varying ment of some of its members, NIPA levels of development) among the serves as the only model in the local government units, park com- Philippines of a consortium that munities, NGOs, indigenous cultural groups together some of the biggest communities, DENR, and academia. and oldest NGOs engaged in differ- In Mount Kanlaon, for example, sev- ent facets of development work, eral city and municipal governments bound together by a common vision are now directly funding some of the of establishing a sustainably managed key activities critical for park man- protected areas system. NIPA also agement, such as protection work, collaborates with other NGOs in restoration of degraded habitats, and pursuing this vision. The Founda- the construction of interpretive and tion for Philippine Environment, a visitor centers. Likewise, the aca- national NGO managing an endow- 62 The George Wright FORUM Protected Areas in East Asia ment fund for conservation, has been sources and expertise with Conser- consistent in its support by way of vation International and Plan Inter- financing some of the more critical national in managing the Northern capability-building activities of Sierra Madre Natural Park have NIPA. Moreover, the strategic part- gradually led to a better management nership that NIPA has established regime in the country’s biggest and with government is an indispensable most important protected area. In the element in NIPA’s quest to realize same vein, NIPA’s partnership with this vision. foreign volunteer organizations is NIPA’s experience of collabora- contributing a great deal in technical tion with international partners in assistance to the sites. Volunteers to biodiversity conservation work has the national office and the sites from tremendously enriched its reservoir the Volunteer Service Overseas of resources and capacities in biodi- (Great Britain), the Peace Corps versity conservation, particularly in (USA), and the Overseas Service Bu- the areas of resource assessment, ca- reau (Australia) provide assistance in pability-building, biodiversity moni- the areas of management planning, toring, management planning, and resource inventory, watershed and funding for conservation activities, range management, ecotourism, and among others. Our partnership with environmental education. Strength- the World Bank-GEF, now in its fifth ening these multi-level partnerships year, is an experiment in itself, being will definitely be high in the NIPA the first of its kind in the Philippines agenda for the coming years. (and probably the world) in which these multilateral agencies have Challenges and Threats engaged with civil society to push Among the various challenges biodiversity conservation. A lot of confronting the Philippine protected lessons have been learned by both areas system, nothing is more serious sides which can be used to improve than the lack of a conducive policy future partnerships between them environment that can enhance and and with others. sustain what have been started by the Our current collaboration with Conservation of Priority Protected other international NGOs has like- Areas Project and the other biodiver- wise been very fruitful. Our coop- sity conservation projects. After the eration with the Nordic Agency for enactment of the NIPAS Act in Development and Cooperation 1992, a series of government-spon- (NORDECO) in biodiversity moni- sored laws that directly impinge on toring resulted in a system that com- the integrity of protected areas were bines scientific methodologies with passed. The most notable of these community approaches. Further- are the Mining Act of 1995 and the more, our efforts to combine re- Fisheries Act of 1998, which, along Volume 18 • Number 2 2001 63 Protected Areas in East Asia with existing forestry laws, further come up with an effective strategy to expose our dwindling natural re- make our politicians appreciate the sources to unbridled exploitation. urgency of passing the protected area Although these interests are legally bills pending in Congress. barred from conducting their opera- The need to improve the pace and tions in our protected areas, the gov- quality of management planning in ernment has been ambivalent in en- our protected areas is equally forcing relevant laws, in part due to daunting. The participatory nature of the higher priority given to economic the process has proven to be cum- growth—which more often than not bersome and time consuming. But comes at the expense of the envi- there is simply no other way to do it, ronment. and we are in the process of explor- The failure of government to issue ing options that will hasten the proc- policy decisions that will strengthen ess without sacrificing the quality of the NIPAS Act also reflects the low the plans for the management of our level of priority that protected areas protected areas. occupy in the policy agenda. Up to Lastly, the grinding poverty in now, the protected area superinten- communities within and adjacent to dent’s office has not been an integral protected areas, if not systematically part of the official DENR structure, addressed, will further increase the which makes it doubly difficult for pressure on these precious life-sup- the superintendent to enforce park port systems. It is a well-known fact laws and secure adequate allocations that, outside of the indigenous peo- for their operations. ples, the majority of protected area Likewise, the prolonged delay in residents are very poor migrants the issuance of appropriate tenurial driven to the inhospitable slopes of instruments for both indigenous terrestrial reserves by the severe lack communities and tenured migrants of economic opportunities and land- threaten the sustainability of the holdings in the lowlands. Social in- community-based initiatives that the equities, specifically those pertaining project has started. Without tenurial to land ownership, are still an essen- security, park communities have tial feature of Philippine society and fewer reasons to be effective stewards remain the greatest threat to the of resources around them. protected areas and biodiversity of The task of gazetting priority our country. protected areas is crucial. The failure of Congress to pass site-specific Prospects for the Philippine protected area bills that will perma- Protected Area System nently establish these reserves tre- Undoubtedly, the foundations of a mendously weakens the foundations viable protected area system attuned of the system. The project has yet to to the conditions of a developing 64 The George Wright FORUM Protected Areas in East Asia country like the Philippines is slowly ated by government, we believe that being established. But let nobody be enough goodwill have been estab- deluded into thinking that from here lished between civil society and its on it will be smooth sailing all the government partners to go a long way. The threats and challenges are way toward putting environmental just too formidable to dismiss lightly concerns at the top of the policy and will need the concerted efforts of agenda. all stakeholders to surmount. More With two years left in the Conser- importantly, the necessary follow- vation of Priority Protected Areas through to what CPPAP and the Project, one of the most important other biodiversity projects have tasks of NIPA and its partners is in- started is crucial if Philippine pro- fluencing government, specifically tected areas are to have a fair chance the DENR, to integrate protected of surviving the onslaught of current area management into its organiza- and future threats to their integrity. tion and elevate biodiversity conser- Given the current state of our vation in its order of priorities, at a economy, however, we recognize the par with or even higher than its cur- importance of further strengthening rent resource-use priorities. Given our collaboration with international the long period of time before the partners to address the following poverty of the Philippines is allevi- broad areas of concern: ated, this much-needed political will on the part of our government will at · Strengthening of community- least give our protected areas a based resource management breathing spell. systems; Finally, influencing the public to · Capacity-building (training) of create a society more responsible to protected area managers; its natural environment is definitely a · Improvement of tenurial security linchpin. Without this, no effort in of park residents; biodiversity conservation can be · Restoration of degraded habitats; sustainable in the Philippines. NIPA · Biological and social research; believes that in its efforts to create and workable models in protected area · Information, education and management, it is putting forward communication activities. some of the most powerful argu- Although we still need to see a ments for creating just such an envi- better policy environment being cre- ronmentally responsible society. Rafael G. Senga, NGOs for Integrated Protected Areas (NIPA), IPAS-PCU Building, Ninoy Aquino Parks & Wildlife, North Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City, Metro Manila 1100, Philippines; [email protected] 1

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