One way to ensure fish supply, while protecting Filipinos at the coast, is to establish more marine protected areas or MPAs. And MPAs are most effective if they are built and maintained by local communities.
A marine protected area is a place that is taken care of by people because it is home to different kinds of fish and other marine species, many of them a source of food or income.
The Haribon Foundation says that an MPA is “an identified portion of land and water set aside by reason of their unique physical and biological significance, managed to enhance biological diversity and protected against destructive human exploitation.”
Another definition can be garnered from the IUCN as noted by RB Cabral et al: an MPA is a “clearly defined geographical spaces, recognised, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values.”
Cabral adds that in the Philippines, MPAs can be categorized into two governance levels: nationally established MPAs and locally established MPAs.
MPAs in general then take four forms:
- Marine sanctuary or no-take marine reserve, where all forms of extractive activities are prohibited;
- Marine reserve, where extractive and non-extractive activities are regulated;
- Marine parks, where uses are designated into zones;
- Protected landscape and seascape, where protection may include non-marine resources (Miclat and Ingles 2004, White et al. 2014).
The most common objectives for MPA establishment are biodiversity conservation, fisheries sustainability, and tourism and recreation, among others.
Marine protected areas can also include mangroves! See why mangroves are important conserve here.
Marine protected area artprint
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