In a significant step towards the implementation of the project Effectively Managing Network of Marine Protected Areas in Large Marine Ecosystems in the ASEAN Region (ASEAN ENMAPS), the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) actively participated in the Third Quarter Economic Development Committee (EDC) Meeting of the MIMAROPA Regional Development Council on 1 August 2024.
Dr. Sheila G. Vergara, ASEAN ENMAPS Project Manager and Chief Technical Adviser, provided an overview of the project and detailed its plans and strategic investments for the MIMAROPA region. The presentation highlighted how the ASEAN ENMAPS Project could drive sustainable development in MIMAROPA, with a particular focus on the renowned Tubbataha Reef National Park (TRNP) in Palawan, one of the project’s pilot sites.
The ASEAN ENMAPS Project is set to roll out a wide range of coastal and marine conservation initiatives, including capacity development activities and other vital interventions for the MPA. These efforts are closely aligned with MIMAROPA’s priorities, especially in bolstering the sustainable development of the region’s environment, natural resources, agriculture, and fisheries sectors.
ASEAN ENMAPS is a five-year project implemented by the United Nations Development Programme through the funding of the Global Environment Facility, and with ACB as the executing agency. The project aims to facilitate transformative changes in managing MPAs and other coastal and marine resources in the Large Marine Ecosystems of the ASEAN region. It has 11 pilot MPA sites: 2 in Indonesia, 5 in the Philippines, including TRNP, and 4 in Thailand.
The Third Quarter EDC Meeting was organised by the Philippine National Economic Development Authority-MIMAROPA Region and served as an excellent platform for ACB to showcase the ASEAN ENMAPS Project’s potential to significantly contribute to the economic and environmental sustainability of MIMAROPA.