Sulu Sulawesi Seascape

CI-Philippines and its local partners are putting information together as basis for the future conservation of the Verde Island Passage Conservation Corridor. Partners include the University of the Philippines in the Visayas Foundation, Inc. (UPVFI); the University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute (UPMSI) through the Marine Environment and Resources Foundation, Inc. (MERF); De La Salle University; Tropical Marine Research for Conservation (TMRC); the Protected Area and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) through the Pawikan Conservation Project (PCP) and the Department of Agriculture - Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Tanggol Kalikasan (TK), WWF, and Philippine Council for Aquaculture and Marine Research and Development (PCAMRD).

The first phase of CI activities in the Verde Island Passage focused on research and studies which updated ecosystems information and identified stakeholder perceptions on the state and threats to the area’s marine environment. It also recommended activities to improve local capacities for conservation management and policy enforcement. Results indicated the necessary locations of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and networks, the need to develop MPA plans, and organize the operations and support for a more active and functional corridor-wide enforcement strategy.

The next phase of conservation work in Verde Island Passage will center on site-based implementation of these recommendations, generate support for corridor-wide conservation and management, and pursue a sustained national interest.

“Connectivity” is an ecological concept that refers to the exchange of elements between various habitats. In the marine context, these habitats could be adjacent coral reefs, sub-tidal seagrass meadows, mangrove-fringed shorelines, coastal estuaries, or any other environments in the coastal marine ecosystem. Demographic connectivity then refers to the movement of living organisms between, nearby, or more distant, local populations, whether these be juveniles or adults, or pelagic eggs and larval stages. This living connectivity facilitates the dispersal of marine lifeforms - growing, surviving, and reproducing – across these habitats, driven by physical and behavioral responses of the organisms to the water mass inwhich they travel. (Definition adopted from www.gefcoral.org)

Previous | Next