Off the coast of Jandayan Island in the town of Getafe in the province of Bohol is the 50-hectare Handuman marine sanctuary, frequented by many for, among others, its peculiar luminous seahorses, which, for the past 10 years, have been continuing to thrive here. With at least 30% of the original 450,000 hectares of mangrove plantation in the Philippines long been depleted, and only 5% of the country’s coral reefs now considered in excellent condition, this should come as a surprise; though, apparently, not so for the Getafe’s Barangay Handumon, home to the non-government organization (NGO) Kapunungan sa Nagkahiusang Mananagat ug Lumulupyo sa Handumon (Kanagmahulan). Established in 1995, “with limited resources and little support from the national government,” the NGO started running a 50-hectare marine sanctuary, which is part of the larger barrier reef of the province, so that, over 10 years later, after a massive mangrove Getafe reforestation, among others, has been seeing continued increase in the levels of saltwater catch – the luminous seahorses included, of course.

No wonder that, only recently, Kanagmahulan was recognized by the Marine Protected Area (MPA) Support Network or MSN, a multisectoral alliance of organizations seeking to protect the marine environment, for “managing the most outstanding MPA,” thereby highlighting how any group can successfully run environmental endeavours.

MSN is composed of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Bureau of Local Governance Development, the Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Resources and Development, Conservation International, Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau, Coastal Conservation and Education Foundation, World Wide Fund, Haribon Foundation Inc., Pamana Ka Sa Pilipinas, Silliman University’s Angelo King Center for Research and Environmental Management, Coastal Resource Management-Resource Center, Mindanao State University, Xavier University, Tanggol Kalikasan, Resources Environment, and Economics Center for
Studies Inc.

MSN sees MPAs as essential in protecting the country’s diminishing marine resources, so that the over 500 MPAs in the country remain relevant. And that’s even if, for the past 30 years, managing the MPAs have been “uneven.”

The success of Barangay Handumon serves as an inspiration, nonetheless, especially since, as Elvira Buhon, Kanagmahulan president, was quoted as saying in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. “At first, there was resistance, (but) little by little, we managed to convince them by telling them that eventually fish will come back, and we wouldn’t need to fish in the neighboring town’s waters.”

The locals were, instead, trained by Haribon Foundation Inc. to make handicraft, initially to supplement their earnings, and then, eventually, to organize seahorse watching tours for locals and foreigners to finance the management of the marine sanctuary. In just five years, “fish started coming back, and there was no (more) need to fish in other fishing grounds,” Buhol says, adding that, in the same span of time, Barangay Handumon established a name as the place to be visited to see the hard-to-find luminous seahorses.

Pillar of Economic Development

“Tourism is a pillar of the country’s economic development, (and the province of) Bohol has taken the opportunity to position itself as a competitive ecotourism destination,” Erico B. Aumentado, Bohol provincial governor, states in the local government unit’s (LGU) Web site (bohol.gov.ph).

Bohol, the Web site states, is “a top biodiversity area. It is home to the tarsier, one of the world’s smallest primates; and to Chocolate Hills, an enigmatic geological formation. Wetlands, caves and forests dot its terrain. Mangroves and palms grow abundantly in the coasts and swamps. Its corals are home to enchanting varieties of marine life. In the municipality of Banacon, there is a mangrove reforestation project, the biggest in Asia. In the waters of Pamilacan Island, a migratory route for cetaceans, whales and dolphins frolic.”  Thus, while “there is great opportunity for economic development, but the provincial government is not taking any chances to risk Bohol’s environment in the name of progress.”

Barangay Handumon’s achievement is, therefore, fortunately only one of the numerous efforts to protect the environment the province of Bohol. The LGU’s Web site boats of numerous efforts worth emulating. In Panadtaran, for example, “in addition to adequately labeling its 36 species of mangrove, (the locals also) offer mudcrab and prawn culture, exotic birdwatching, and canoeing along intricate waterways, leading to lunch catered by members who trained at the Central Visayas State College of Agriculture, Forestry and Technology’s (CVSCAFT) Home Economics department just to make sure guests get their money’s worth.” And then there are the “efforts of the Banacon Fishermen and Mangrove Planters Association (Bafmapa), which won the Philippine government’s nomination to the Ramsar International Wetlands Conservation Awards. Inabanga and Banacon earlier handily won for the Philippines the Outstanding Wetlands Conservation Awards in the Peoples Organization and LGU categories respectively.”

In Cambuhat, “organizers have already put in part of their tour revenues to their oyster culture just to ensure continuous supply, and enhance their river tours. Made aware of value-added experiences, these members have even come up with cultural entertainment and a guided tour of the community’s cottage industries such as native craftsmaking using raw materials indigenous to the area.” And then there’s Pamilacan’s story , considered “even rich- er and more inspiring (with its) tou r activity turning erstwhile marine predators into marine protectors. The same people who used to hunt the whales, the manta rays, and the dolphins for their priced meat have become the tour guides, boat operators, and managers of the Pamilacan Marine Life Tour.”

Enviromental Integration

To further the integration of tourism and environmental management, the province LGU earlier established the Bohol Ecotourism Development Program in 1997, when it aimed to “make Bohol a prime eco-cultural tourist destination and a strong agro-industrial province.” By 1998, the province already had a Bohol Environment Code, which called for the establishment of the Bohol Environmental Management Office (BEMO) and the Bohol Tourism Office (BTO) – both offices intend to “put in place mechanisms that are environmentally sustainable, economically viable, and socially equitable; accelerate development for the benefit of local communities; and spread tourism benefits to rural areas in terms of employment generation and poverty alleviation.”

Success has been numerous, especially with “local communities encouraged to take an active role.” The program has since put up community-managed tour groups, including the Coral See and Seascape Tour, operated by Basdio Farmers and Fishermen’s Association (BFFA); the Banacon Mangrove and Seascape Tour, operated by Banacon Fishermen and Mangrove Planters Association (BAFMAPA); the Candijay Mangrove Adventure Tour, operated by Panadtaran Mangrove Association ( PAMAS ); the Cambuhat River and Village Tour, Operated
by Cambuhat Enterprises Development and Fisheries Association (CEDFA); and Marine Life Tour, operated by Pamilacan Island Dolphin and Whale Watching Organization (PIDWWO).

“As a result, people are now more deeply aware of the importance of preserving endangered species. They have increased their produce from the sea, and they have cleaned up the rivers and waterways of solid wastes, resulting in healthier and more abundant marine harvests. Tourism bodies, such as municipal and barangay tourism councils, have increased, widening the opportunities to inculcate ecotourism values among the people. With better and mutually beneficial linkages among NGOs, LGUs, government agencies, and people’s organizations, communities that were once sleepy have become productive,” the LGU’s Web site further states.

“Our environment conservation is not just for show. It has not only deepened our consciousness about preserving our ecology and endangered species, but also definitely increased marine production; more stringent efforts in solid waste disposal have cleaned up our rivers and waterways, resulting in healthier, more abundant marine harvests and emerald green rivers,” Aumentado says.

Obviously, the province of Bohol has “chosen ecotourism as a major development thrust.” And for those still in doubt, one only needs to know the fact that the Province of Bohol was the first local government in Southeast Asia to receive ISO 14001 accreditation – that, or there’s Barangay Handuman’s success story.