Pilar Municipal Marine Park (PMMP)
(PMMP)
Pilar Municipal Marine Park (PMMP) is on Ponson Island, Philippines between Lower Poblacion and Villahermosa villages. Located in what is considered a priority conservation area for reef fishes, the region was previously threatened by compressor fishing and illegal intrusion of commercial fishing boats. To address these threats, PMMP established an innovative multi-stakeholder management scheme with a no-take zone, driving people and nature impacts.
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Context
Challenges addressed
illegal and unsustainable fishing
Beneficiaries
fishers and their families and the community.
Location
Pilar Municipal Marine Park (PMMP) Ponson Island, Philippines
Southeast Asia
Process
Summary of the process
These key components combine as a part of the sites Theory of Change, using methodology from Rare (www.rare.org). This Theory of Change (Figure 1) is rooted in the social science of behavior change and in proven strategies to influence social norms to achieve significant and long-lasting conservation results. This methodology requires that Pride campaigns: Involve key stakeholders (i.e., fishers and local communities) in the creation and proliferation of the solution. They must be leaders in design and implementation of their local system, as well as communicating and marketing their success to neighbors and policy-makers. Engage both the emotions and intellect (i.e., “hearts and minds”) of constituents, e.g. the use of campaigns focused on community pride and the aligned incentives of rights-based management. Facilitate a compelling benefits exchange (i.e., offering an economic, political and/or social benefit in return for adopting a new set of conservation behaviors). In other words, fishers and communities need to see a compelling reason to steward the resource for the long-term.
Building Blocks
Transparent co-management
The Management Team is composed of the Municipal Mayor as Honorary Chairman; the Management Board; park officers and members of 7 working committees. The municipal and the two village government units; each composed of multi-sector representatives, comprise the Management Board. Each group contributes a specified amount for the project’s operational expenses. The Management Board members hold quarterly meetings and a general assembly of all Management Team members is conducted annually.
Enabling factors
The Management team created a working organization and operations structures to ensure that there is a good coordination within in terms of functions and responsibilities. A governing internal policy is also adopted to instill that discipline and obedience to the goals and vision of the creating the marine protected area. To continue their day-to-day operations, the Local Government Unit provided yearly funds to finance logistics and other operational related expenses needed by the team.
Lesson learned
Since the members of the ManComm are officials of the barangay, they feel the management of the PMMP is part of their duties and responsibilities as officials of the barangay. Easy access for funds intended for the food allowance and appropriate supplies and equipment for the Coastal Law Enforcement Team. Decisions are made in right venues like regular meetings and assembly with right stakeholders involved . PMMP plan is easily adopted and integrated in the municipal development plan.
Fair enforcement
When a violator from one village is apprehended, the case is resolved by members from the other village, thereby reducing the possibility of patronage politics. Representatives from the local government, church, people’s organizations, and NGOs, are allowed to observe the proceedings but cannot influence the outcome resulting to more effective law enforcement. Hands-on leadership, team-building strategies (e.g. cross-visits), and technical support are key in order to harmonize the different and sometimes conflicting interests of the multi-stakeholder organizational set-up.
Enabling factors
Functional PMMP Enforcement Team - Provision of coastal law enforcement paraphernalia, equipment and support infrastructure facilities. Conduct of capability building training to enhance enforcement skills of the law enforcers - Cooperation with the local community and Municipal Fishwarden in reporting intrusion s and other violations in the municipal park. In place enforcement system such as logbook, sea patrol operation scheme and enforcement feedback
Lesson learned
Regular meeting of the enforcement committees enabled the ManCom to monitor issues, problems and concerns. The Local Municipal Government Unit and the MPA Management Body should provide all the needed infrastructure, equipment and supplies/materials to increase the enforcement capacity of the team. Putting the logbook system for MPA Enforcement greatly helped in monitoring the activities and happenings in the MPA and provided timely feedback and response mechanism to further strengthen MPA enforcement.
Participatory Monitoring of Threats
The Monitoring and Evaluation Plan is a guide in tracking and measuring the status of the marine habitat and its organisms, the threats and likewise the management efforts poured out to the marine park. The Coastal Law Enforcement Team continues writing the logbook and reflect the guarding, patrolling, surveillance, every activity and event happening in the campaign site and periodically summarize or consolidate the logbook entries on a regular basis and submit reports to the Coastal Resource Management Office. The Local Monitoring Team does the regular biophysical assessment, fish catch monitoring, socio-economic and community perception survey. Annually, the ManComm will be assessed using the MEAT by an independent evaluator from outside the campaign site. We will improve the competencies and skills of the members of the ManComm through trainings, constant coaching and mentoring so that they will become efficient in doing these tasks. We will also capacitate some members of the MTWG in data analysis and results presentation so that evaluation results will be presented in such a way that the people in the community could easily understand
Enabling factors
Local volunteers to compose the monitoring team including women fisher and wives of fishers in the community. Constant capacitation of the monitoring team through trainings of necessary monitoring tools, cross visits to successful MPA sites and provision of appropriate monitoring equipment. Biophysical assessment is regularly conducted in the PMMP by the Local Monitoring Team. They are also involved in analyzing and presenting the data. Monitoring Results are used by the PMMP ManCom and the LGU to inform management decisions
Lesson learned
Fish catch monitoring report is a useful source of information to evaluate the threats and the conservation results. Women have a critical role to perform of Encourage more women (fishers’ wives) to submit monthly report. Give incentives to cooperative family of fishers. Allocation of funds for monitoring must be secured to conduct regularly the necessary monitoring activities in the site. Regular Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) is an important aspect in managing the Municipal Marine Park since it allows us to keep track on how far we have achieved our conservation goals. Training of second liners to compose the monitoring team is very important to increase the membership and meet the activities related to monitoring Informing the community especially the fishers about the results of the monitoring will inspire them to take part of their roles towards the management of the MPA especially
Participatory governance
Participatory approach is always a key approach in managing the Pilar Municipal Marine Park. From setting up of the management committee, drafting of the management plan, coming up with solutions to the arising issues and problems, and in any other aspects that need the voice of the involved individuals or groups the participatory manner is always taken into consideration to hear different ideas and opinions before decisions will be arrived at.
Enabling factors
Membership of the management committee is multisectoral which includes the fishers, local management councils, local government created though a legitimate law. Clear cut structures and delineation of responsibilities to carry out the overall management and governance of the PMMP . Close supervision of the local chief executive and the concerned municipal departments to deliver the current needs to continue the effective management of the PMMP. Taking the PMMP as their pride and a source of their livelihood motivate them to pursue cooperation
Lesson learned
High knowledge of the community about the vision, mission and goals of putting up the PMMP. There is strong cooperation and partnership because everyone feels involve and the ownership of the marine park. Management plan can be articulated and can be communicated easily because there are many people who are involved and knowledgeable on it context and purpose.
Behavior change through Social Marketing
Borrowing from the commercial marketing sector, the Pilar Government conducted quantitative and qualitative research to deepen their understanding of the local fishing community: their knowledge of the PMMP regulations and benefits of a healthy marine ecosystem, their attitudes and beliefs on protecting the PMMP to conserve their fisheries, and their intent to change their own behaviors to follow all fishing regulations. This research was then translated into a creative, compelling, inspiring, and motivational marketing campaign that encouraged local fishermen to become “star” fishers by following the most pertinent regulations of the PMMP. The campaign included printed materials such as large outdoor billboards, posters, and store awnings; community based events such as festivals and parades; and more intimate activities like fisher meetings and discussions. The goal of the campaign is to catalyze the adoption of the desired fishing behavior among local fishers and to increase the support and peer pressure of following fishing laws among the wider Pilar community.
Enabling factors
Trust between the program implementers and community is critical to ensure implementers are given honest and critical feedback about the community’s motivations and feelings, and feedback on draft marketing materials to ensure they represent the viewpoint of the fisher audience. Program implementers must display openness and curiosity during the research phase to ensure they are truly hearing their audience and not inserting biases or preconceived notions into the analysis. This is critical to ensure that marketing campaigns are based on the community
Lesson learned
Pre-testing creative concepts with the target audience themselves reveals valuable insight into the positioning and the specific details of the campaign. In one of the early focus group discussions when the mascot design was presented, the implementing organization learned that the local name they used for the Parrotfish Mascot was not the same name the local fishers use, which resulted in changing the nickname for the mascot to one that is much more relevant to the intended audience. It’s important for the organization to have access to material production vendors and creative designers. In order to produce a campaign that has high quality printed materials, visual designs that are captivating and inspiring, and messages that are clear and motivating, it is important to have access to local vendors and artists who can deliver on the marketing goals of the campaign.
Resources
Impacts
Species conservation: Significant increase in the number of fish per 500m2 within the sanctuary’s no-take zone: 372 in May 2005 to 640 in May 2009. Fish biomass within the zone also grew from 1.33 ton3/km2 in 2005 to almost four times as much in 2009. The zone also protects the surrounding mangroves, which provide habitat to fruit bats, reptiles and migratory birds. Livelihoods: Previously, fish catch averaged 2.6 kgs/fisher/day and 18% of school-aged children were malnourished. Six years later, fish catch has increased to 5.5 kgs/fisher/day and the number of malnourished school-aged children decreased to 10%.
