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  • 19 Aug 2014

The 5th CTI-CFF Regional Exchange on Marine Protected Areas (REX5), recently held in Cebu, Philippines, significantly advanced progress on the implementation of the Coral Triangle Marine Protected Area System (CTMPAS).

Forty representatives from CTI-CFF member countries and partner organizations developed roadmaps to improve the management of marine protected areas under CTMPAS during the workshop held on Mactan Island, Cebu, from 14–18 July 2014.

The roadmaps contain specific, concrete activities to improve marine protected area management at the country level and align it with the regional CTMPAS, which was launched in May 2014 in Indonesia. These roadmaps will be implemented from 2014 to 2020 by government agencies and non-government organizations in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste.

The dynamic five-day workshop included intensive discussions, working sessions, and a field trip to nearby Olango Island, where several long-standing locally managed marine reserves provided lessons on management effectiveness and revenue generation. A learning exercise using the Philippines’ MPA Management Effectiveness Assessment Tool (MPA-MEAT) was conducted at the field site, inspiring ideas for the development of the country roadmaps.

By improving marine protected area management, participating countries aim to protect threatened marine resources in key biodiversity sites and sustain fish stocks to ensure food security in coastal areas.

Some of the topics covered in the workshop agenda included:

  • Reviewing country-level progress towards the development of MPA Management Effectiveness systems (MPA-ME).
  • Assessing the status of the CT Atlas database on MPAs and identifying actions to augment information.
  • Sharing experiences on MPA networks/systems to inform functional networks in each country.
  • Refining the scope of work for the MPA Coordinator position.
  • Conducting a technical working group meeting to review and endorse the results of the workshop.

A major lesson learned from REX5 is the importance of aligning the efforts of all major organizations working in the region for CTMPAS to progress effectively. The workshop was hosted and organized by the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Biodiversity Management Bureau, USAID Regional Development Mission for Asia, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Coral Triangle Center, The Nature Conservancy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the CTI-CFF Interim Regional Secretariat.

The REX5 report, containing the country roadmaps and decisions of the MPA Technical Working Group, will be available in late August 2014.