Plan up for Tañon Strait

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Environment  and Natural Resources (DENR) - 7 is now in the final stage of coming up with a general management plan for the conservation of marine ecology and sustainable management and development of the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape (TSPS).

Isabelo Montejo, DENR-7 regional director, said that the main objective of the plan is to establish a consistent vision for the protection and sustainable development of resources through the implementation of management strategies and interventions inside a protected area.

Montejo added that the plan intends to support the social and economic needs of the communities involved, enhance and conserve the marine and terrestrial biodiversity and also to provide economic opportunity through ecotourism enterprises.

The Tañon Strait is one of the world’s natural heritage and one of the country’s rich fishing grounds. It was declared a protected seascape by virtue of Presidential Proclamation 1234 signed by then President Fidel V. Ramos last May 27, 1998 in recognition of its extraordinary abundance and diverse assemblage  of  dolphins, whales and other marine species.

Straddling the three provinces of Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental and Cebu, the plan for the protected seascape will include activities that address threats to its biodiversity.

The plan is designed for long term sustainability and development that would allow periodic review and updating every three years.

Montejo, in  a statement, added that the environment department wants to stress the conservation of biodiversity and sustainable development in protected areas to maintain essential ecological processes and life support systems that must be a paramount concern and which do not recognize political boundaries.

Upon completion of the plan, it will then be submitted to the Protected Area Management Board for ratification, fund allocation, and approval. —/JPM (FREEMAN)