By Rey Anthony Chiu
Philippine Information Agency
Coastal management here continues to generate wakes in environment protection and a people’s organization in Getafe proved anew that the community is still the best resource manager, revealed a newly installed and Talibon based environment officer.
Community Environment and Natural Resources (CENRO) Talibon head Alex Estopa shared the good news during a recent guesting at the weekly Kapihan sa PIA, tackling the world environment day Thursday Julne 5 in Tagbilaran City.
The people’s organization, called KANAGMALUHAN, in Jandayan island in Getafe earned the admiration of evaluators from the government’s environment agency for its pro-active management of the marine sanctuary that boasts not just of seahorses but of excellent dive spots, said municipal CRM coordinator Edgar Escabusa in a phone interview Friday.
According to Escabusa, the Handumon marine protected area was established with the help of Haribon Foundation’s Project Seahorse, and is now doubling the town accolade for best practices in the country’s marine conservation.
The organization handles weekly stock assessments while catering to dive tourists both on sea and on land in the organization’s guesthouses, he added.
The award for most outstanding marine sanctuary was conferred by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Coastal Zone Philippines and the Marine Protected Area Network and was received recently in awarding rites held in Manila, CENRO Estopa said.
The recent accolade is again a testament of the people’s effort and the local government’s support to community based management efforts, the CENRO admitted.
Years back, the town also capped the DENR’s wetland conservation award for the Banacon people’s organization for putting up 484.04 hectares of reforested mangroves and sustainably managing it for their future generations.
Both Handumon and Banacon projects lie within the Danajon Double Barrier reef, a rare marine formation stretching from northwest to northeastern Bohol.
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