PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan – Environment authorities and municipal government officials in Palawan recently inked an agreement that bids to effectively manage and protect critical marine habitats covered by the Northeastern Palawan Marine Protected Area (NPMPA) network.
“They agreed to increase aquatic biodiversity within the MPA network and create economic opportunities for surrounding residents based on the principles of sustainable development,” Provincial Information Officer Gil Acosta, Jr. said.
The MOA was signed on October 17 by the mayors of Roxas, Dumaran, Araceli, Taytay, El Nido and Linapacan with the provincial government represented by the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) and the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff (PCSDS), Acosta said.
To implement these goals, the signing parties settled to establish a MPA Network Management Board (MNMB) that will include the town mayors.
A management committee will also be established with the primary task to monitor the implementation of the NPMPA and the implementation of its policies that covers around five clusters within 1,008,305 hectares of marine area.
Each municipality, he said, was expected to share funds annually for the NPMPA and the successful implementation of its goals.
“The provincial government and the PCSD Staff will serve as oversight agencies that will provide the technical support if needed,” Acosta added.
The establishment of the NPMPA was made possible through the help of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Philippines with the Palawan provincial government.
“This is an important way to manage marine protected areas covered by the six municipalities. Residents in these towns can further benefit from them if their ecosystems are protected,” he said. (Celeste Anna Formoso/PNA)
