On 18 July 2024, the project Effectively Managing Network of Marine Protected Areas in Large Marine Ecosystems in the ASEAN Region (ASEAN ENMAPS) made significant strides in marine conservation through its participation in the National Workshop for the Philippine National Plan of Action 2 (NPOA2) 2021¬–2030 of the Coral Triangle Initiative for Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF). The workshop was convened as the last iteration of consultations for localising the Regional Plan of Action 2 (RPOA2) of the CTI¬-CFF.
The CTI-CFF RPOA2 aims to create resilient ecosystems and coastal communities with food security and sustainable livelihoods by conserving and managing sustainably the ocean in the Coral Triangle region. This aligns with the ASEAN ENMAPS Project’s goals, which include five of its eleven pilot sites (three in the Philippines and two in Indonesia) within the Coral Triangle region. ASEAN ENMAPS is expected to support NPOA2 and RPOA2 by aligning its project plans and activities in the Philippines and in the Large Marine Ecosystem of the Coral Triangle, respectively, with the Action Plan.
Dr. Sheila G. Vergara, Project Manager¬–Chief Technical Advisor of ASEAN ENMAPS, served as the facilitator for the bio-physical and socio-economic groups of the workshop. Ms. Claudia B. Binondo and Ms. Angelica De Castro of the Project Development Division, Programmes Department of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), also participated in the workshop.
The national workshop was jointly organised by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Bureau of Biodiversity Management, and the Solutions for Marine and Coastal Resilience in the Coral Triangle. ASEAN ENMAPS is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme through the funding of the Global Environment Facility, with ACB as the executing agency.
