Batangas fishers and women keep plastic out of the ocean through sustainable entrepreneurship

Full Solution

by Naomi Maraviles, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Members of Samahan ng mga Mangingisda ng San Teodoro (Fisher's Organization of San Teodoro) with their Upcycled Plastic Bags

SMARTSeas PH Remelizza Sacra

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) through the support from the Global Environment Facility and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and in partnership with Conservation International, initiated the SMARTSeas PH Project in Verde Island Passage (VIP) in 2016, one of the project's five sites established to strengthen the protection, conservation, and management of marine biodiversity in the area. SMARTSeas is working with the people's organizations in Batangas to train VIP citizens on how to upcycle plastics and other rich resources of the area.

Last update: 25 Mar 2021

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Contexto

Défis à relever

Loss of Biodiversity

Unsustainable harvesting incl. Overfishing

Lack of alternative income opportunities

Lack of public and decision maker’s awareness

The citizens of VIP are highly dependent on the passage’s resources for their livelihood and meal source. Among the five provinces, Batangas contributed the most out of the annual 40-47 thousand metric tons of marine fish production in VIP. However, threats continue to arise in the passage as the number of fishers in the area increase. The result is overfishing as the municipal waters are unable to support more than 50% of the fishers. Hence, the fishers and their families need to have an alternative means of income and resources.

Environment Challenge: Unsustainable harvesting, including overfishing

Social Challenge: Lack of public and decision maker's awareness

Economic Challenge: Lack of alternative income opportunities

Scale of implementation

Local

Ecosystems

Coral reef

Beach

Buildings and facilities

Tema

Health and human wellbeing

Sustainable livelihoods

Outreach & communications

Ubicación

Batangas, Philippines

Southeast Asia

Procesar

Summary of the process

In the early stages of the project, it is vital that stakeholders develop partnerships and collaboration with local government units (LGUs). These LGUs must have input in the planning process since they will be the direct beneficiaries of the project with the sustainable livelihoods that will be provided.

Building Blocks

Establishing partnerships with local government units

In the Philippines, every city and municipality is composed of various barangays, which is the smallest local government unit (LGU). SMARTSeas formed connections with the LGUs of Verde Island Passage to ensure that the implementation of fishing ordinances are observed among communities and the livelihood initiatives can be administered directly. Among the LGUs are Samahan ng mga Mangingisda ng San Teodoro (SMST; Fisher's Organization of San Teodoro) and Samahan ng mga Mangingisda ng Barangay Bagalangit (SMBB; Fisher's Organization of Barangay Bagalangit).

Enabling factors

This building block requires close communication between the implementing agencies and the fisher's organizations. The members of these organizations are engaged in awareness building meetings to educate them on the threats plastic impose on the ocean. Commodity development training is also given to the members for them to successfully create and design products that can be sold.

Lesson learned

Primarily, the majority of the citizens that depend on fishing as their livelihood are still unaware of the dangers plastic can contribute to the marine wildlife and ecosystem. These people are willing to learn and move toward a sustainable fishery operation, but they need the guidance of higher authorities that are experts on the subject matter to initiate the strategies that need to be executed.

Forming alternative livelihood out of cheap resources

There are 26,426 municipal fishers that reside in the Verde Island Passage. However, the scope of the water is unable to support more than 50% of them. Hence, fisher's organizations need to help the fishers find alternative means of income.

SMARTSeas, along with other funding organizations, was able to provide an alternative livelihood that can support the community while practicing sustainability. Training activities, such as weaving and soapmaking classes, were provided to the members of SMST and SMBB. The purpose of this building block is to empower the citizens and reduce illegal fishing, by establishing other sources of income for family sustenance.

Enabling factors

A strong relationship among the fisher's organizations and the implementing agencies is critical to enable the success of this building block. Aside from communication, trust must be developed among the members and stakeholders since they will be working closely toward a sustainable livelihood and healthy marine ecosystem. Furthermore, it is essential that the threats (e.g. plastics and overfishing) and opportunities (e.g. rich resources in coconuts) in the passage are recognized to formulate a strategic plan that fit the circumstance of VIP.

Lesson learned

Introducing alternative livelihoods to local communities are better welcomed if the investment is economical for the target community. Single-use plastics are pervasive in San Teodoro, which is why SMST was able to acclimatize themselves in upcycling plastics to bags for a living. On the other hand, coconuts are also widespread in Barangay Bagalangit and throughout VIP; hence, SMBB was able to produce coconut-based hygiene and aesthetic products.

Lastly, it is paramount that the fisher's organizations or other small local groups are involved throughout the whole process and that they can contribute to the planning. With this, they can initiate sustainable projects by themselves in the future.

Impacts

Environmental Impacts:

Reduced the possibility of more than a thousand plastic sachets thrown into the ocean.
Overfishing caused by illegal fishing is lessened because fishers were able to find alternative livelihoods aside from fishing.
No net decrease in the sighting of large marine vertebrates.

Social and Economic Impacts:

More than 50% of the fishers in VIP were able to find an alternative source of income.
A sustainable livelihood center was constructed as space for the citizens to conduct training and business operations. The center is also made out of eco-bricks.
In the fourth year of the project since the implementation, the management effectiveness and financial sustainability of the marine protected area (MPA) and MPA Networks have improved over the years by more than 10% with the establishment of VIP marine protected area network framework plan.

Beneficiaries

VIP fishers, women, and families
Samahan ng mga Mangingisda ng San Teodoro (SMST; Fisher's Organization of San Teodoro)
Samahan ng mga Mangingisda ng Barangay Bagalangit (SMBB; Fisher's Organization of Barangay Bagalangit)
Marine wildlife and ecosystem