Co-managing shared waters: a coastal governance experience of Western Visayas Region, Philippines

Abstract

Coastal ecosystems in the Philippines are under stress from the combined effects of human overexploitation and habitat destruction. In recent years, the concept of an integrated approach to coastal resource management has been adopted to address this. This new paradigm, generally described as co-management, makes use of the participation of the different sectors (e.g. government, community) in the management process. CRMCs are multi-sectoral in nature with inter-LGU partnerships and different resource-sharing schemes. This is based on the premise that complex problems in coastal areas do not respect jurisdictional boundaries and can only be addressed in a meaningful way through collaboration with the different sectors involved and empowerment of the community. This paper will present the experiences of the different CRMCs in Western Visayas Region, Philippines and how the different LGUs surrounding a bay area have joined together to responsibly manage their common resource. Success stories or “best practice” strategy of the CRMCs will also be highlighted for possible replication in other coastal communities.