BUENO, Deanne Rose C.

CERP 152

Professor Christine Mendoza March 11, 2020

Project Proposal on Management of Protected Areas and Biodiversity

“​Conservation of Biodiversity Through the Enhancement and Increased Number of

Protection Areas in the Vicinity of Taal Lake”

Project title: “Conservation of Biodiversity Through the Enhancement and Increased Protection
of Biodiversity-rich Areas in the Vicinity of Taal Lake”

Requesting country:​ The Republic of the Philippines

Requesting regional or national organization: National Disaster Risk Reduction and

Management Council

Executing agencies:

● Local government of Batangas (provincial, municipal, and barangay level)

● Local government of Cavite (provincial, municipal, and barangay level)

Required National Partners:

● Department of Environment and Natural Resources- Biodiversity Management Bureau

(DENR-BMB)
● National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC)
● Department of National Defense

Priority Issue Addressed: ​Loss of habitats and biodiversity in the areas within the Taal red
zone affected by the ashfall waste

Regional scope:​ Region IV-A CALABARZON

Project Location​: Taal Lake and its surrounding municipalities

● Municipalities and cities

○ Batangas: Talisay, Malvar, Tanauan, Laurel, Agoncillos, Santa Teresita,
Cuenca, Alitagtag, Mataasnakahoy, Lipa City, Balete, San Nicolas,
Lemery and Taal
○ Cavite: Tagaytay City

Project Duration : ​Five (5) years

OBJECTIVES:

● To establish a wider scope of protected areas where there is an impending loss or

endangerment of biodiversity
● To improve the ecosystem in the new protected areas and include the participation of the
local communities in its management
● To assess the ecological and cultural value of the biodiversity in the established and the
new protected areas
● To implement laws that would enhance the safeguard of the protected areas and the
biodiversity during disasters
● To ​promote the concept of sustainable tourism in the protected areas

COST AND FINANCING (MILLIONS IN PHILIPPINE PESO PHP)

According to biodiversityfinance.net, in order to protect the biodiversity of the country,

PHP 24 Billion or UST 530 million is the budget required annually, with 240 protected areas
having to share the budget, that leaves the Taal protected areas with PHP 10,000,000 / PHP 10
million. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (NDRRM) funds allocated for
2017was PHP 15.76 Billion, PHP 23 billion lower than the 2016 budget of PHP 38.9 billion.
From international organizations, both from the list required financing by potential source and
subtotal international financing, there is an allocated budget of PHP 10 million or 40,000 USD
from each sector, while from the co-financing sectors, the governments in cash and kind will
allot PHP 10 M while PHP 5 million will be from the subtotal financing for a total of PHP 35
million.

GOVERNMENT ENDORSEMENTS

Listed below are the current mayors from different municipalities and cities

● Hon. Gerry D. Natanauan of Talisay, Batangas

● Hon. Mary Angeline Y. Halili of Tanauan City, Batangas
● Hon. Criseta Reyes of Malvar, Batangas
● Hon. Joan L. Amo of Laurel, Batanga
● Hon. Norberto A. Segunial Jr. of Santa Teresita, Batangas
● Hon. Daniel De Los Reyes of Agoncillo, Batangas
● Hon. Faye E. Baretto of Cuenca, Batangas
● Hon. Edilberto G. Ponggos of Alitagtag, Batangas
● Hon. Janet M. Ilagan of Mataasnakahoy, Batangas
● Hon. Eric Ben Africa, of Lipa City, Batangas
● Hon. Wilson V. Maralit of Balete, Batangas
● Hon. Lester De Sagun of San Nicolas, Batangas
● Hon. Eulalio M. Alilio of Lemery, Batangas
● Hon. Fulgencio I. Mercado of Taal, Batangas
● Hon. Agnes D. Tolentino of Tagaytay City, Cavite

GOVERNMENT FOCAL POINTS

Listed below are the current governors and officers from the provinces of Batangas and Cavite,
and the different agencies

● Gov. Hermilando Mandanas from the province of Batangas

 ● Gov. Jonvic C. Remulla from the province of Cavite
● Noemi A. Paranada, Director II, Regional Director (Region IV-A CALABARZON)
● Jessie A. Conde, Chief EMS, Chief and Environmental Monitoring and Enforcement
(Region IV-A CALABARZON)
● Ricardo B. Jalad, Undersecretary, Executive Director, NDRRMC and Administrator

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Background and Justification

With the incessant increase of population, negative environmental impacts are inevitable
consequences of development activities. One of the factors that affect these are faulty policies,
lax policy implementation, lack of environmental management capacities for the people of
authority and commonly associated with the predominance of development practices which
follow market-driven motivations. Capitalizing on open spaces with no regard to value and how
to sustainably maintain its biodiversity and environmental value. In line with this, there is also a
lack of policies and guidelines in the relief and rehabilitation plans for the biodiversity sector in
the Philippines during disasters.

Taal volcano and Taal lake are one of the most unique land and waterscape in the
globe, it is a lake within a volcano, within a lake. It is situated in Batangas province. Taal
volcano is one of the most active and dangerous volcanoes in the Philippines (Volcano
discovery, nd). The lake caldera is filled with Taal lake. The Taal volcano is located at the center
of Taal lake which is the third largest lake in the Philippines following Laguna de Bay and Lake
Lanao in Mindanao. The Taal Volcano Protected Landscape (TVPL) is a protected area under
the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) act, which has a total of 62,292.16
hectares. It is formerly known as Taal Volcano Island National Park which was established in
1967, the popular tourist site approximately 95 kilometers south of Manila. It was declared a
Protected Landscape under Presidential Proclamation 923 on November 19, 1996. TVPL's
natural resources are shared by lakeshore barangays from different towns in Batangas and
Tagaytay City in Cavite. There are fish cages and fish pens on the outskirts of the lake where
tilapia and ​bangus ​are grown by communities as a source of their livelihood. The lake being a
natural beauty is a tourist magnet, fishermen are also employed as tourists, they give boat rides
to visitors wishing to witness the volcano up close. As such, the TVPL continues to generate
much needed government revenues and create jobs and livelihood opportunities for the towns
of Talisay, Malvar, Tanauan, Laurel, Agoncillos, Santa Teresita, Cuenca, Alitagtag,
Mataasnakahoy, Lipa City, Balete, San Nicolas, Lemery and Taal, all in the province of
Batangas, and Tagaytay City in Cavite province. TVPL is rich in biodiversity, according to the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources- Biodiversity Management Bureau
(DENR-BMB). There is quite a number of wild faunal species consisting of white and brown
heron, crow and other common bird species. Monitor lizards and a variety of snake and frog
species are also present and dominantly thriving in the area. Fish species such as ​tawilis,
maliputo, ​tilapia, ​bangus, hito, ​and ​dalag a
​ re also bred and thriving in the lake.

The prevailing degradation of the protected areas due to climate change and the waste
brought about by the ash fall disaster can be tracked and traced to the inadequacy and the slow
and lax implementation of management policies which are rampant in protected areas across
the country, in lieu of this, there is a great possibility for tourism decline and loss of biodiversity.
There is a need for better management and conservation in sensitive and protected areas.

The definition of protected areas according the Philippine Statistics Authority is

“identified portions 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”. The different categories included in the protected areas are the strict nature
reserve, natural park, natural monument, wildlife sanctuary, protected landscapes and
seascapes, resource reserve, and natural biotic areas. The Philippine government is a signatory
in the law established in the categories.

As of 2013, there is a total of 240 total protected area in the Philippines totaling an area
of 54,500 square kilometers which accounts for 14.2% of the Philippines' total area which is
300,000 square kilometers. According to the biodiversity conservation based on the results of
the National Biodiversity Conservation Priority Setting Project which was undertaken by the
DENR-BMB, the University of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Development Studies,
and Conservation International Philippines, “the TVPL is classified as 'Extremely high urgent' it
is also considered as one of the Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) of the Philippines.
The priority areas that will be established in this policy will cover a diverse range of ecosystems
and biodiversity. The reasons for the assignation of national importance are the following:

● The ​protection of diversity of the Taal region's species richness

● The high level of endemic fish species in the lake namely, ​Sardinella tawilis, Gnatholepis
volcanus, Rhinogobius flaviventris, ​and ​Hydrophis semperi
● The lake being both high in diversity and endemism
● The vitality of assuring the ecosystem function

In line with the ongoing effort of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) to promote the
security and maintenance of the protected areas globally, there is a global call for action to have
a unified network of protected areas in all the nations that will signify the key habitats for their
countries. The World Conservation Union aids countries and communities in managing systems
of the protected areas on both land and oceans. The effective management and implementation
of the systems created by the World Conservation Union is one of the vital instruments in
achieving the goals of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Sustainable Development
Goals. (IUCN, n.d.)

The goal of the protected areas as mentioned in the IUCN is to conserve the biological
diversity and productivity. It was promoted and endorsed in the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD) as an indicator for immediate testing in relation to the global goal of reducing
the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010. Alongside of this, the goal of effectively conserving 10% of
the world's ecological regions is also part of the target. (Chape, et al, 2005) . Furthermore, with
a comprehensive approach to the management of protective areas as an indicator to reach the
global biodiversity goals and targets, increasing the scope and range of the protected areas
have actually proved to be very effective in providing stability to the biodiversity and ecosystems
in the areas involved.

OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTED RESULTS

This project will address the need to establish and add more protected areas near Taal
lake in support of the existing ones. The project will also support the adoption of a new system
for the proper maintenance of the protected areas both in the local and regional sector. The
project will ultimately address the need to preserve biodiversity in the vicinity and the local
communities and contribute to the well being of both entities.

The more immediate objective for the project is to promote and promulgate the
protection of the areas' biodiversity and newly proclaimed protected areas. The institution of
safeguarding and stewarding biodiversity rich areas, adopting species nursery practice and
guarding breeding grounds alongside enhancing the security of the protected areas.

The following are the expected outcomes of the project:

1. Establishment of a wider scope of protected areas where there is an impending loss or

endangerment of biodiversity;
2. Improvement of the ecosystem in the new protected areas and include the
participation of the local communities in its management;
3. Proper assessment of the ecological and cultural value of the biodiversity in the
established and the new protected areas;
4. Implementation of laws that would enhance the safeguard of the protected areas and
the biodiversity during disasters and;
5. Promotion of the concept of sustainable tourism in the protected area

PROJECT COMPONENTS / ACTIVITIES

The duration of the project will be five (5) years. The initial until the second year of the
project will consist of establishing and solidifying the agreements and laws for the project
implementation. Included in this project setting is the coordination of the national agencies with
the local governments from the provincial down to the barangay levels. The third year of the
project will be dedicated to research and studies that would aid in shaping the current and long
term outcome of the project. The fourth and fifth year of the project will be for implementation,
monitoring and evaluation.
 The table below will show the main activities and time frame of the project in years

DEMONSTRATIVE VALUE AND REPLICABILITY

The activities in the project are demonstrative, and can be replicated by both the future
generations and local leaders. The implementation of the practices can be replicable through
the use of expertise from the local communities and government through the knowledge and
passed on through the previous project.

Other activities such as the establishment of the project policies in the local level and the
formulation of management structures for the local communities will be used as starters, these
could be replicated. It is the main responsibility of the local government to implement the
policies and regulations, in lieu of this it is also the responsibility of the local government in
municipal and barangay level to make the communities aware of the project.

STAKEHOLDER PARTICIPATION

The main stakeholders of the project are the following:

1. Government – both the national and local governments are in charge of the protected
areas and the stewardship of it including the rehabilitation during the onslaught and after
calamities and disasters. The local government will serve as the link for the
communities and national government, between the private and public sectors.
2. Research Institutions and Universities – educational institutions along with research
government and non-government institutions and organizations will be called to help
 for consultation and facilitation of the processes, they may also serve as resource
people at the first year of the project and during the evaluation and monitoring
3. Local communities – Those residing in or are near the protected areas are one of the
most important stakeholder in the project, they will serve as one of the frontliners in
protecting the biodiversity during disasters

PROJECT FINANCING AND DURATION

The project's time duration is five (5) years and the total projected cost of the project is at
PHP 35 million or USD 700,000. The national and local government along with the different
institutions will contribute in kind accordance with the budget plan. The project has five (5) main
components and they are listed as follows:

1. Project management – this will likely take up 20% of the project of PHP 7 million. This is
the communication and coordination between the local and national government, from
the barangay to the regional levels. Included in the project management are the
salaries, food, rentals of different offices and rooms, and transportation expenses.
2. Research and studies – the institutions will serve as the extension of the project and
development of new systems for the security of the protected areas will take up 10% of
the budget or PHP 3.5 million. Included in the research and studies are the
consultation and evaluation services from professionals and experts.
3. Creation of new Protected Areas – local migration will have to happen in the creation of
new protected areas, relocation and rehabilitation costs will take up 30% of the project
budget or PHP 10.5 million. Alongside of this, job creation and establishment of tourism
sites will follow.
4. Improvement of the current protected areas – the improvement of the currents
protected areas will also take up 30% of the project budget or PHP 10.5 million.The
improvement will happen in all the aspects of the management, from equipment,
infrastructure, evaluation and monitoring and setting the management structures,
rehabilitation and relief budget.
5. Contingency – the contingency budget will cost PHP 3.5 million or 10% of the
budget.
MONITORING, EVALUATION AND DISSEMINATION

The process of the monitoring and evaluation will have the following:

1. Quarterly progress report during the first year and the last year of the project cycle
implementation, this is to be conducted by the municipalities and institutions
involved in the project.
2. Yearly progress from the second year of operations onward, this will be done by the
provincial level to be reported to the national level, a meeting will be held and
headed by the provincial committee in the presence of the representatives from the
municipal levels.
SOURCES:

Biodiversity Management Bureau (2018). Guidebook to Protected Areas of the Philippines (Vol. 2).
QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA: DENR. p.35-39.

Biofin. (n.d.). Philippines Invest in biodiversity, invest in our future. Retrieved March 11, 2020, from
https://www.biodiversityfinance.net/philippines

DENR-BMB (2015) “Guidebook to Protected Areas in the Philippines”. Accessed March 2020.
http://bmb.gov.ph/downloads/References/PA_Guidebook_Final.pdf

DENR-BMB (2015) ”Taal Volcano Biodiversity”. Accessed March 2020.

http://www.bmb.gov.ph/index.php/resources/news-and-events/95-taal-volcano-and-biodiversity

Chape, S, J Harrison, and I Lysenko. “Measuring the Extent and Effectiveness of Protected Areas as an
Indicator for Meeting Global Biodiversity Targets,” 2005.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1569446/#__ffn_sectitle​.

Federez, M. (2020). Volcanic eruption has long-term effect on environment biodiversity, vegetation —BPI.
Retrieved March 11, 2020, from
https://ph.news.yahoo.com/volcanic-eruption-long-term-effect-132246718.html

IBON Media. (2020). Lower disaster budget shows lack of govt priority. Retrieved March 11, 2020, from
https://www.ibon.org/lower-disaster-budget-shows-lack-of-govt-priority/

Marler, T. (2011). Recovering plant biodiversity. Retrieved March 11, 2020, from
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.4161/psb.6.9.16962

Mayuga, J. L. (2020). Taal Volcano’s protected area, unique biodiversity in peril. Retrieved March 11,
2020, from
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2020/01/20/taal-volcanos-protected-area-unique-biodiversity-in-peril/

N.A. (n.d.).CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY THROUGH THE ENHANCEMENT AND OR

ESTABLISHMENT OF MARINE PROTECTED AREAS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA. Retrieved March 11,
2020, from ​https://www.ais.unwater.org/ais/aiscm/getprojectdoc.php?docid=3368

NDRRMC (2019). NDRRMC ADVISORY. Retrieved March 11, 2020, from

http://www.ndrrmc.gov.ph/attachments/article/3581/Advisory_General_Flood_Advisories_issued_on_29Ju
ne2019.pdf

Philippine Senate. (2017). Examining the Philippines’ Disaster Risk Reduction and Management System.
Retrieved March 11, 2020, from https://www.senate.gov.ph/publications/SEPO/PB_Examining PH DRRM
System_Revised_27June2017.pdf

PSA . “Protected Areas.” Accessed March 2020. ​http://www.psa.gov.ph/content/protected-area​.

Sawyer, F. (1910). The Inhabitants of the Philippines. Retrieved March 11, 2020, from
https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=JqfeLUwFNh0C&dq="Bombón taal"&source=gbs_navlinks_s

Volcano Discovery. (n.d.). Taal volcano. Retrieved March 11, 2020, from
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/taal.html