(1) Data showing that no-take marine reserves or sanctuaries do work over time to conserve biodiversity, increase fish density, and fish biomass and export fish biomass outside protected areas and potentially increase fish catches of fishers,
(2) Since time scales for restoration of coral reefs are in the order of decades rather than years, there is much sense in co-management schemes involving the three partners in long-term management of coral reef resources. Such co-management provides an intergenerational mechanism to ensure long-term protection of marine resources.
(3) For the Dauin sites, all marine sanctuaries have already been delineated and three are functional, with their management plans almost completed, and their POs organized. The challenges are to: (a) place the remaining coral reefs under some form of co-management schemes involving local and national partners (b) strengthen the management of some 400 marine reserves in the country and (c) for the Dauin sites to minimize the effect of flooding and erosion impacting their sanctuaries due to erratic rainfall pattern.
(1) While external help is often necessary to initiate development projects, much depends on initiatives of local communities and local government units to achieve the human development objectives of food security and sustainable marine resources (directed to local stakeholders).
Once the community was educated to understand that their food and livelihood security would be increased by the development of the reserve, they were fully supportive of the project. Without their support and efforts to establish the site, the reserve would not have been protected.
(2) Interagency linkages and cooperation in the management of marine protected areas are essential (directed to all stakeholders).
While we believe these linkages are critical, the project had difficulty getting the necessary support from a number of government agencies like the Bureau of Fisheries. It was perceived as due to the tendency of this office to do its own thing. Another agency, the Philippine Coast Guard, was perceived to be not helpful when asked for assistance by the Dauin FLS. It is possible that this agency could not help in implementing the rules of protected areas because it lacks boats and personnel.
(3) Management of marine protected areas should be science-based, drawing on information from all over the world but especially from reserves in the country (directed to all stakeholders).
The University partners for the area include scientists who are especially aware of the advancements in marine biology and the applications to protected areas.
(4) Academia is useful as initiator of projects, but organized local communities and local government units should take their roles as implementers (directed to all stakeholders).
The members of academia that worked on the project are aware that their role is primarily research and other technical matters, and implementation is not their responsibility.
(5) A great deal of volunteerism is needed in successfully managing marine protected areas (directed to all stakeholders).
Although this project demonstrated the critical role of volunteers, there were also difficulties in getting some community members to contribute their time without compensation. As an explanation, we believe that poverty is so rampant that everybody expects to be paid for his labor. The solution to this issue would depend on the local situation.
(6) Periodic monitoring of protected areas and assessment of results with the use of social and biological indicators is needed (directed to all stakeholders).
Monitoring is critical to show the beneficial results of establishing marine reserve as well as to track down any necessary adaptations to management over time. This should be a combined effort of the local government units, local community (POs), and academe. Some members of the community have been trained in monitoring. Scientific monitoring has been done since the 1980s using simple (directed to the community) and standard methods (directed to scientists). Assessments of the effects will use socioeconomic and biophysical indicators that are being developed.
(7) Use of technological interventions to address human population management is needed to ensure sustainable development (directed to all stakeholders).
In addition to preserving fisheries resources at the site, it is important to address social indicators that lead to the increase in resource exploitation. In this case, we initiated education on family planning to help reduce or stabilize population growth. The success of this activity is still limited.
(8) Establishing conditions for sustainability (directed to all stakeholders).
The community-based approach has the element of sustainability because at any point in time there are several generations of people who are aware of the need to sustain the effort of carrying on the positive achievements. For example, on Apo small children have been known to tell visitors to follow the rules of the marine sanctuary. These children will grow up to teach their own children about the benefits of the marine sanctuary. Apo Island has a scholarship program supporting selected Apo college students to enable them to finish their college degrees and are required to render community service on Apo. There should be members of the local community trained in monitoring the sanctuary using simple methods and feedbacking the results to the community so the community knows what is going on in the sanctuary. Part of this activity should be the development of a database for purposes of continuing the information dissemination to the community.
(1) Marine protected areas benefit biodiversity and people, the latter by the excess production of harvestable organisms. The evidence for this is our data showing improvement of the quality of biodiversity, the increase of fish biomass over time at Apo Island and the spillover of fish biomass to surrounding non-reserve.
Guideline: Site reserve in an area most likely to result in fish biomass spillover and improved biodiversity through production of marine propagules for the larger marine region (directly related to ultimate socioeconomic benefits of reserve). In developing countries with large populations, it may not be possible to protect large marine areas and we have to be satisfied with many small reserves. Since small reserves have localized effects, many reserves (large and small) should as much as possible be established to form networks of marine reserves or sanctuaries in order to ensure large-scale impact on marine biodiversity and fisheries and conservation of whole ecosystems, taking into consideration the oceanography of an area.
(2) Marine protected areas require decades before they can recover to the previous condition, if at all. Our 20 yr data on fish recovery from Apo and Sumilon Islands indicate this could take decades. (37).
Guideline: Conduct baseline and ongoing monitoring of both marine reserve and fished area outside no-take zone to show long term benefit of increased fish stocks. Additionally, be prepared to devote extensive time to community organization and education (in the case of Apo Island, 2–3 years).
(3) Full community and local government involvement in the management of marine protected areas is necessary for the protection of the marine sanctuary, as demonstrated in the case of the Apo Island.
Guideline: Partnership between local communities and facilitators must be balanced. Recognize the “ownership” of the project is important. Local government units must take responsibility for the legal issues and livelihoods. Facilitators (including scientists, community organizers and advocates) must be credible and have no hidden agenda.
(4) Flash floods have eroded beaches and silted coral reefs in the FLS areas, as reported by the sanctuary managers.
Guideline: Continual protection and benefit of the marine reserve requires ongoing communication and adaptation to new and emerging issues. Management committees and boards must hold regular meetings and respond to feedback and concerns from the community, as well as to determine new ways of managing against emerging threats to the reserve.
Marine reserves may be established under two sets of Philippine laws, the NIPAS under the national protected areas system, and the Local Government Code and the Fishery Code under a local government unit such as a town, city, or province. So there is a choice under what system a particular coral reef under threat from overexploitation can be protected and managed. A manager representing a local government would think that logically it would be easier for him to have it declared a local marine sanctuary because it requires fewer steps and shorter time to effect protection (see Appendices).
However, consider this case: A particular coral reef which is bounded on one side by a tropical rain forest has just been invaded by a rebellious armed group that cannot be controlled by local officials. The forest will likely be logged and cause sediment to pollute and kill the corals within a short time. One will have to opt for national protection by the DENR under the NIPAS law in order to avail oneself of a strong implementing arm of government when needed.
In this true example from the island of Mindanao, the local government and the community will follow a guideline of assessing the risk to the environment if a certain option is followed. This example illustrates the importance of social factors reinforced by global change factors (for instance, the large amount of rainfall causing large volume of sediment deposited on the reef). In deciding on a strategy of protection, the probability of success should be part of the guideline in the absence of clear evidence for superiority of one strategy over the other.
The most effective means for communicating lessons abroad is the websites but locally, the best way appears to be through visits to targeted areas, or through the radio. A study being conducted in the Dauin FLS aims to determine the best ways of communicating with local stakeholders.