Evolution and lessons from fisheries and coastal management in the Philippines

Over the last three decades, Philippine institutions and communities have been experimenting with new approaches to coastal management to try to stem the increasing tide of destruction to coastal habitats and the decline of fisheries. Many attempts at coastal and fisheries management have been conducted, ranging from broad-area management planning for whole bays to small community-based marine protected area (MPA) projects (Courtney et al. 2000). The impetus driving coastal and fisheries management projects and MPAs is attributed to the interest of local and national government through devolution of authority under national policies to promote protection and management of coastal resources. Municipal, city, and provincial governments have thus become the key players in the implementation of integrated coastal management (reM) and MPA projects in association with national government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), people's organizations, research institutions, and multilateral and bilateral donor organizations, employing different strategies and approaches (White et al. 2002, 2005a). The many useful lessons being learned in the context of ICM programs are summarized in this chapter