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©2015 Palawan Council for Sustainable Development 49

Our Palawan The Scientific Journal of the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development

Forum/Conference Paper: Sustainable Development Education

Available on-line at www.pkp.pcsd.gov.ph

Keywords:

biosphere reserve climate change Environmentally Critical Areas Network Palawan Strategic Environmental Plan Sustainable

Development zoning

Abstract

The Man and Biosphere Programme of the UNESCO established a worldwide network of reserves with the intent of showcasing the critical relationship between human societies and their natural environments. The recent Madrid Conference highlighted the critical role and potential contributions of biosphere reserves in addressing climate change impacts at the local, national, regional and global scales. The Palawan Biosphere Reserve in the island province of Palawan, with a land area of 1.5 million hectares, is one of the two biosphere reserves in the Philippines. It was established in 1990 and is supported by a Philippine landmark legislation in 1992. Biodiversity and endemicity in the province are high in terms of terrestrial forests, mangroves, coral reefs, and seagrass beds. This paper presents the ongoing initiatives of Palawan Biosphere Reserve, as well as the challenges and opportunities encountered by its environmental managers in the pursuit of sustainable development. Indications have shown that the biosphere reserve scheme has laid down the basis for a climate change “ready” Palawan with the establishment of the Environmentally Critical Areas Network, an ecosystem-based land and water use zoning plan for the entire province. Organizational networking and strengthening are likewise in progress. A key challenge is the island character of the Palawan Biosphere Reserve that makes it susceptible to climate change impacts - especially sea level rise-since most of settlement areas and economic activities are largely concentrated along its limited plain lands in the coastal areas. Furthermore, conflicts in land use and natural resource utilization are already happening and are foreseen to escalate given the increasing national and international demand for both renewable and non-renewable resources. Unregulated migration has likewise resulted in encroachment in environmentally critical areas.

1Project Development Officer and Head ECAN Planning, PCSDS 2Project Development Officer, Special Concerns, Office of the Executive Director, PCSDS 3Vice President for Research and Extension, Palawan State University *Address correspondence to: PCSD Building, Sports Complex Road, Sta. Monica Heights, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan P.O. Box 45, PPC 5300 Palawan, Philippines. Email: [email protected]

Ryan T. Fuentes1*, John Francisco A. Pontillas2 and Michael D. Pido3

The Role of UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere Reserves in Climate Change Adaptation: Experience from Palawan Biosphere Reserve in the Philippines

R.T.Fuentes et al./Our Palawan 1(1):49-60

50 ©2015 Palawan Council for Sustainable Development

1. INTRODUCTION

The biogeographical region of the island-province of Palawan in the western Philippines is unique in terms of ecological and economic endowments. It harbors the highest terrestrial forest cover in the country which makes up 46% of the Palawan Province’s land area. It also has the highest mangrove assemblage in the country that account for roughly 42% of the total remaining mangroves in the Philippines (PCSDS, 2010). Palawan is also known for its high concentration of endemic plants and animals (Figure 1). In the past two years, descriptions of new species of pitcher plant (Robinson et al., 2009) and gecko (Brown et al., 2010) have been published in scientific journals. Such discoveries further emphasize the biogeographic distinctiveness and level of floral and vertebrate endemism of Palawan Island (Esselstyn et al., 2004).

Beyond the level of species and ecosystems, Palawan at the macro-level of landscape and seascape offers outstanding sources of raw materials and natural resources. The rich fishing grounds of Palawan are the major source of animal protein of the entire country. The relatively intact ecosystems-such as limestone formations, long beaches and coral reefs - continue to attract tourists to the area. The onshore mineral deposits in Palawan Island

are evident from the large tracts of ultramafic geologic formation along its mountain ranges. Moreover, the offshore waters are being applied for numerous service contracts for the extraction of fossil fuels. These outstanding biological endowments ideally place Palawan at the forefront of sustainable development. The ecological infrastructure in place provides an opportunity for model governance that will enrich the resources and sustain them for national development.

In 1982, a province-wide study on the appropriate course of development for Palawan was undertaken by Palawan Integrated Area Development Project Office (PIADPO, 1985). The study came up with holistic findings which are contained in a document called the Strategic Environmental Plan (SEP) for Palawan. Among the significant findings are the critical configuration of Palawan as an island ecosystem with long and narrow geography, steep topography, highly erodible soils and impermeable soils, as well as small watersheds and narrow river courses (PIADPO, 1985). The narrow mountain spine and rivers and steep runoff slopes make the mountain ecosystems at the center of Palawan vulnerable to soil erosion once the forest cover is removed. In the 1980s, the forest cover of Palawan is already under considerable threat from commercial logging and shifting cultivation.


Figure 1. Some of Palawan’s endemic flora and fauna: (a) monitor lizard (Varanus palawanensis); and pitcher plant (Nepenthes palawanensis)

(Sources:(a) Jonah van Beijnen; (b)www.wikipedia.org.)


Recognizing the need to protect the forests and resources of Palawan and anticipating the pressures that will be exerted by the high rates of migration and population in-crease, the environmental managers, in consultation with stakeholders, lobbied for the enactment of the SEP document as a landmark environmental legislation. This initiative was achieved in 1992, with the passage of Republic Act No. 7611, the Strategic Environmental Plan for Palawan Act (SEP Law). The rationale of the SEP Law is the reversal of the trends in environmental degradation and the provision of new development opportunities for the people of Palawan. The major proviso in the SEP Law is its handing down a ban on total commercial logging to allow the regeneration of forests which in past times have been subjected to land use conversion. The authority to implement the SEP Law lies with a multisectoral executive body called the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD).

Two years prior to the enactment of the SEP Law, in 1990, Palawan was declared as a Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The passage of the SEP Law aimed to perpetuate the status of Palawan as a biosphere reserve and as the Philippines’ last ecological frontier. The strategies in the law are expected to provide the management requirements of a biosphere reserve. The legal and institutional frameworks therefore already exist to provide for the long term resilience of biological diversity of Palawan and the enhancement of environmental and economic capital secured by its ecosystems. Given such background, this paper shall present the ongoing initiatives of Palawan Biosphere Reserve, as well as the challenges and opportunities encountered by its environmental managers in the pursuit of sustainable development.

2. METHODOLOGY

The central strategy of the SEP Law is a zoning strategy called the ECAN; the acronym stands for Environmentally Critical Areas Network. ECAN is a graded system of protection and development control over the whole province. It is strategically configured after the biosphere reserves (BR) of UNESCO. Zoning of biosphere reserves is aimed at the protection of environmentally critical habitats,

and the zoning scheme is typified by concentric circles.

Generally, the core area is strictly protected to meet conservation objectives. Around the core area, the buffer zone is delimited for non-extractive uses, while the transition area is where sustainable development activities with local communities are organized (Batisse, 1992). A network of such reserves is often created inside a management or conservation unit called a corridor, an ecoregion, or a protected land-scape and seascape.

The question of scale in zoning is concomitant to conservation and management objectives of the area. Under the Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) of UNESCO, the Palawan Biosphere Reserve (Sandalo and Baltazar, 1997) is recognized as part of the international biosphere reserves network. The Palawan BR is singled out as a representative sample of ecosystem types as it provides a standard against which the effects of man’s impact on environment can be measured. As with ECAN, the coverage of the reserve is the entire province. The ambit of the SEP Law thus gives ECAN the leverage to answer the zoning requirements of Palawan BR.

An ECAN zoning map is produced from biophysical and socio-economic criteria that include the elevation of the land, its slope, its forest cover, watershed properties, presence of habitat of threatened species, land classification, and the existing land uses. The management zones range from the core zone or the area of maximum protection, the buffer zone surrounding the core zone, and the multiple use or multi-purpose zone. All 23 municipalities of Palawan and the City of Puerto Princesa have adopted their ECAN zones maps for their respective planning and regulatory agenda. The adoption of the zoning maps is done through the approval of local government resolutions. The Palawan ECAN zones, aside from being the on-ground implementation of Palawan BR, serve as the blueprint for the province’s sustainable development as the municipal Comprehensive Land and Water Use Plans (CLWUPs) are based on the ECAN map. The regulatory function of the map is evident as each zone, from the core zone to the multiple use zone, is prescribed with allowable and prohibited activities.



The development of the ECAN zoning concept charts the evolution of GIS-based natural resources mapping in Palawan and the filling of data gaps in the province’s geographic resource information base (Fuentes, 2006). The early design of ecological zoning in Palawan relies on geomorphology or soil-terrain interplay. Geomorphology accounts for the delineation of land forms: steep mountains, steep and non-steep hills and lowlands. Steep mountains are the subject of strict protection measures because of their relative inaccessibility and the intact condition of the resources found therein. Thus, a montane ecosystem in a geomorphology-centered ECAN scheme is protected regardless of the condition or type of forest in a mountain, which is the spatial management unit in such a scheme.

Generally, montane ecosystems are equated with montane forest because forests are the dominant resource in the mountain. Montane ecosystems are consequently treated as core zones because of their singular forest cover characteristic. The designation of mountain ecosystems as distinct biogeographic systems is evident from the choice of several mountain ranges–such as the Victoria-Annepahan Ranges and Mantalingahan-Bulanjao Ranges (Figure 2) in the priority areas for ECAN (Hunting Technical Services Limited et al., 1987).


The 1985 Palawan Integrated Environmental Plan (IEP) ecological zonation concept of early to mid-1980s relies on soil characterization and the suitability of land for agriculture. The Palawan soil map is mapped at 1:250,000 scale and its pedogeomorphology (soil, slope, elevation combinations) at 1:100,000. The bases for pedogeomorphologic map are 1:50,000 topographic maps from National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) and the interpretation of 1979 Landsat images. Spatial overlay of soil and topographic maps create 11 pedogeomorphic units within five ecological zones: Inshore marine and mangrove zone, Lowland zone, Low hills zone, Steep hills zone, and Mountain zone. From these units and zones are inferred the agricultural potential of the land. Further addition of land use in the spatial overlay leads to the identification of 20 zonal subdivisions or “subzones.”

The IEP classification of ecological zones and pedogeomorphic units attempts to model land capability that allows for broad-scale assessments of potential land use. The general idea is that placing the IEP Low hills zone under cultivation would ease up pressures of shifting cultivation on the erosion-prone steeper slopes of Steep hills zone and Mountain zone.

Figure 2. Mt. Mantalingahan, Brookes Point, Palawan (©PCSDS)

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

From Land Form-Based to Ecosystem-Based Zoning Design: ECAN Zoning of Palawan


The current ECAN model of ecological zoning accounts for geologic hazards, although its reliance to geomorphology is now limited. The present concept is different from the soil/terrain type-land suitability of the IEP pedogeomorphologic zoning regime. Its complex design is patterned after habitats and ecosystems zoning (i.e., terrain, biodiversity hotspots and land use, with emphasis on land cover-land use capability). The shift may be partly attributed to the technical and theoretical requirements of balanced development. The availability of geographic information that are formerly not available (e.g., high resolution satellite imageries, rapid and in-depth biodiversity assessments and surveys) and the advancement of GIS hardware and software have led to the development of specific criteria and methods to zone environmentally-critical areas.

Geologic hazards are implicit in the use of geomorphology as a basis for ecological zoning. This is brought into greater focus by the shift to a habitat/ecosystem-centered ECAN scheme with the addition of several important ecological criteria, such as land cover and critical watersheds. This shift is essentially put into effect by the use of mapping (GIS and remote sensing) technologies and the use of finer scale datasets. Higher resolution land cover datasets make the distinction of forest ecosystem types more discernible. The coarse scale datasets in the geomorphologic zoning design also made it more prudent to use generalized management units. That is, a mountain unit or hill unit is used instead of several ecosystem or ecological units within such a mountain or hill.

Geologic hazards are, in principle, better explained by the current ECAN design. In the current habitat/ecosystem design, at least three parameters (altitude, slope, and land cover) of ECAN zoning reinforces each other and supports the view that planning frameworks must account for the geologic hazards in the environment. A geohazard map can in fact be produced from the overlay of the three aforementioned layers, and one would expect a strong correlation of its risk index to the ECAN zones.

Technical project consultants on ECAN have been hired to make mapping studies, develop methods for ECAN zoning implementation, and train the PCSD Staff (Ofren, 1999; Cabrido, 2003; Vinluan, 2004).

ECAN zoning started conventionally with table-mapping exercises supplemented by ground truthing (Sandalo, 1996).

The preliminary ECAN maps were produced in 1994, following the criteria instituted in PCSD Resolution 94-44. Only the criteria for elevation and forest cover were considered in the maps produced at this point. New ECAN zoning guidelines were instituted in 1999 and 2005 through PCSD Resolution 99-144 and PCSD Resolution 05-250, respectively. Several versions of the ECAN map were produced in 1998, 2001, 2004, and 2007, each version using updated and ground-validated ECAN parameters.

The “ecanization” of Palawan is defined as “the process of delineating and marking the boundaries of the different zones in both land and sea, the identification of prescribed activities and resource use for each zone, together with the enforcement of regulatory measures to prevent practices that are destructive of the environment” (1994 PCSD Resolution). To that end, the Palawan Province has come up with the following ECAN Map (Figure 3.)

ECAN and Climate Change

Since the mapping and delineation of ECAN zones is compatible with identifying ecological “hotspots” or areas in need of immediate protection and conservation, the utility of ECAN zoning in dealing with climate change is apparent. ECAN zoning is a way of identifying hazard-prone areas as physical parameters, such as slope and elevation, are used in its mapping using GIS. An ECAN map also indicates biodiversity hotspots as “habitat of endangered species”, one of the criteria in its mapping. Further, the ECAN zones can be an indicator of suitability for land use activities and a decision-support framework in determining the optimal location for various development options, such as ecotourism, agriculture, and housing.

Carbon Sequestration in Palawan Forests

Forest protection is one of the main objectives of ECAN zoning strategy. The zoning of protected forest areas as Core Zones will strengthen the Palawan BR’s defense against adverse climate change impacts. The SEP Law’s imposition of a total commercial logging ban and the zoning of terrestrial Core Zones, however, did not eliminate the threats to forest ecosystems of Palawan.

R.T.Fuentes, et. al./Our Palawan 1(1):49-60


Figure 3. Terrestr ial ECAN zones map of Palawan Province (excluding Kalayaan

Municipality) (Source: PCSDS-GIS, 2005)



In 1946, the total estimated cover of commercial and non-commercial forest of Palawan was fairly high at around 89% or 1.3 million hectares (Barrera et al., 1960). More recent estimates suggest that this dramatically dropped to 68% (779,600 hectares) in 1979-1983 (Mainland Palawan only, PIADPO 1985). The IEP reported an alarming decline of 19,000 hectares per year from 1979 to 1984 (PCSDS 2005). In the span of 60 years (1946-2005), the forest cover of Palawan was reduced in half. Using remote sensing techniques, PCSDS (2010) reports a decrease in the forest cover of Palawan from 738,886 ha in 1992 to 666,338 ha or 46% of the land area of the province in 2005. This translates to a deforestation rate of around 5,500 ha/yr.

The loss in forest cover can be attributed to a host of factors: the actual loss of forest cover, the various methods of satellite image interpretation used in the two data collection periods, the difference in the resolution of satellite images used, and the different categories of land cover classification between the two dates. The actual loss can be attributed to the continuing harvest of timber, land use conversion to agriculture and human settlements, mining and natural causes such as forest fires (PCSDS, 2010).

The appreciable change in deforestation rates from 19,000 hectares per year (1978-1983) to 5,500 hectares per year (1992-2005) can be a positive indicator that the pressures on the forest have somehow eased. However, the loss of forest cover is still alarming considering the consequent loss of biodiversity and the loss of ecological service values brought about by this sweeping land

conversion.

A conservative estimate of the carbon stock sequestered within the forests of Palawan is calculated at 206.6 million metric tons of carbon (PCSDS, 2010). This estimate is computed using carbon density estimates for various types of vegetative cover (Table 1). The carbon stock of old growth forests is estimated at 349.81 tC/ha, while the estimate for residual forest is 336.40 tC/ha. The carbon stocks for other land covers, such as marginal forest, forest over limestone, brushland and

grassland, are excluded as they may be considered transient stocks. Using a conservative carbon price of US$15/tC (Cruz et al., 2008), the total economic value of carbon stocks of Palawan forests can be estimated at PhP 130.1 billion.

The significant amount of carbon stock in Palawan forests makes it clear that creation of a Palawan carbon market has lucrative potential. It is also clear that to maintain the carbon sequestration function of Palawan forests, the effectiveness of the current envi-ronmental policy climate must be thoroughly studied. The policies intended for the preserva-tion of areas in terrestrial ECAN Core Zones may be insufficient to address the diminishing forests in Palawan. A holistic master plan for sustainable development has to take into account all other zones, including the buffer and multiple use zones.

Economic Industries Co-existing With Protected Areas

The rich environment and diverse natural resources of the Palawan Biosphere Reserve serve as the backbone of its economy,

Forest cover

Carbon density* (tC/ha)

Area (ha)

Total Carbon stock (million tons)

Value at US$15/tC (billion pesos)**

Old growth forest 349.81 189,772 66.4 41.8

Mossy forest 204.25 21,601 4.4 2.8

Residual forest 336.4 373,278 125.6 79.1

Mangrove 174.9 58,400 10.2 6.4

643,050 206.6 130.1

Table 1. Carbon stock values of different forest cover in Palawan Province (2010)

* Values from Lasco et al. 1999 as cited in Cruz et al. 2008. ** 1 US$:PhP 42



which is largely based on primary sectors that involve the production and extraction of raw materials. The three major industries of Palawan that are expected to be negatively affected by climate change and global warming are agriculture, fisheries and tourism. The largely coastal based ecotourism is expected to be drastically affected considering the pollution and sedimentation of coastal waters, the inundation of beaches, and the potential decimation of coral reefs on a large scale due to the increase in sea surface temperature.

The same is true with fishery with the possible decline in productivity of the coastal zone because of potential large-scale destruction of corals. The mass bleaching of coral reefs during seasons of hot sea surface temperature, usually at the height of El Niño phenomenon, can decimate large coral assemblages where the reef fishes are thriving (Henson, 2011). The Palawan live reef food fish trade, primarily the trade of the red coral trout (Plectropomus leopardus) as shown in Figure 4, is valued annually at one billion pesos. The live fish trade is highly dependent on the health of the coral reefs and the quality of coastal waters. One of the substantial initiatives in response to urgent environmental conservation, collectively undertaken by the stakeholders in Palawan, is the establishment of new protected areas (PAs). The Mt. Mantalingahan Protected Landscape in southern Palawan is the latest terrestrial PA. This will ensure for future generations an unspoiled land that will support the food and water requirements of the indigenous peoples and lowland inhabitants. On a smaller scale in the coastal waters, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are being established at the municipal and barangay levels.

Onshore mineral extraction through open pit methods is also one of the potential activities that lead to deforestation. Industries dealing with non-renewable resources of metallic and non-metallic minerals currently test the limits of ecanization. Palawan’s nickel reserve is valued at PhP 304.7 billion in 1998 while extraction of sand and gravel amounts to PhP 629.4 million in 1999 (PCSDS et al., 2002). The resurgence of the mining industry due to the national government’s open policy of mining extraction in Palawan challenges the ecological framework of the ECAN strategy. With due regard to the protection of environment and affected communities, the desired sustainability and responsibility of mining is predicated on the rational management of mineral resources, the economic recovery of the country, fair return of

investment, and equitable access. However, the economic attractiveness of mining and other industries of non-renewable resources in Palawan is still not exempted from the policy of ECAN.

The total area of approved mining applications in Palawan is significant to affect forest reduction. Mining areas with approved permits (i.e., with SEP Clearance from PCSD), for operation and exploration ant enough as works, cover 18,000 hectares of land. Aside from forest cover loss, the substantial impacts of mining is the siltation of rivers that has its concomitant effects on the primary industries located in the lowlands and coastal areas. The loss of biodiversity also has to be factored in. Without safety nets to ensure best practices in mining, the uplands down to the coastal areas will continue to be threatened by ecosystem degradation.

For the Palawan’s offshore coastal region, the latest legislation is Republic Act 10067 or the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park Act. The law establishes a 10-mile buffer zone around the 97,030-hectare marine PA. It is also concerned with the formation of permanent local management structures, fiscal autonomy, and higher penalties for violations of the Park’s regulations. The Tubbataha Reefs is most likely connected to Balabac Strait Corridor and near-shore waters of Palawan as a strategic source of coral and fish larvae (Campos and Villanoy, 2007). Gene flow between large scale marine corridors in the Sulu Sea and in the Kalayaan Island Group in the West Philippine Sea (also known as South China Sea) makes apparent the long-distance connectivity of these corridors (Endriga et al., 2000).


Figure 4. The red coral trout (Plectropomus leopardus) (Photo courtesy of www.marine-world.co.jp)


The network of ECAN zones and the land and marine PAs subsumed within these zones exist side by side with the economic activities in Palawan. Resilience, representativeness and replication of ecosystems are some of the benefits that the zonation of ECAN bestows upon the environment. In the Palawan BR, the connectivity cycle can be extended to the linkage of the economy and environment as both are not mutually exclusive but rather mutually reinforcing concerns.

As a top-down approach or a “ridge-to-reef” strategy, ECAN then acts as a dual blanket of protection to life-support and economic systems. As an evolving zoning strategy, it has the adaptability to be integrated into any planning and regulatory frameworks and management schemes. It is scalable since it can be adapted from small areas (fish sanctuaries, terrestrial PAs) to large scale ones (biodiversity corridor, landscape, Palawan BR).

The on-going impacts of climate change will continue to challenge environmental managers of Palawan. A key consideration is the island character of the Palawan BR that makes it susceptible to sea level rise and storm surges. The settlement areas and economic activities in Palawan are largely concentrated along its limited plain lands in the coastal areas, making them prone to flooding during rainy seasons.

Conflicts in land use and natural resource utilization are foreseen to escalate given the increasing national and international demand for both renewable and non-renewable resources. Unregulated migration is adding pressure to the natural resource base when the livelihoods of the people are sourced out by encroachment to environmentally critical areas. These social issues are best addressed by a battery of livelihood projects that are conducive to maintenance of environmental integrity.

The challenge remains in the governance aspect, both locally and nationally. The primary need of governance in Palawan is the maximization of political will to continue to develop industries that are environment-friendly and economically attractive. The reconfiguration of ECAN in terms of economic development must then acknowledge that PAs are part and parcel of sustainable development instead of an obstacle to it. The focus of

partnership among stakeholders must once again be on Pas and, broadly, the ECAN as a spatial strategy. Local government officials often view the proportion between conservation and development in Palawan as skewed in favor of the former. Conservation and development, however, occupy the same spectrum in Palawan as the province’s economy is largely dependent on its environmental capital.

There are two major constraints to the sustainable development of Palawan. On one hand is the heavy reliance on activities that are extractive of natural resource base. The adoption of “quick cash” projects is favored since the monetary benefits from such projects are immediate. However, the environment is short-changed in the long term. The other constraint is the kind of priorities and utilization that the government pursues in terms of public sector investments. It involves the manner by which the government invests the money from these resources.

In a modern economy, there are four main sectors of economic activities. The primary sector pertains to the production and extraction of raw materials; the secondary sector involves manufacturing and utilizing raw materials derived from the primary sector; the tertiary sector is also known as the service sector; and the quaternary which involves research and development needed to produce products from raw materials. Palawan is not industrialized enough to be a major carbon source. The province is not engaged in the manufacturing or processing sector, and thus, its raw materials are largely being exported outside for conversion into final products. For Palawan to achieve the most from its natural endowments, it must attempt to fill in and strengthen the four levels of economic sector and create markets and industries where there are none. Having the substantially intact yet threatened forest cover in the country, the creation of carbon sinks (that is, more trees, more forest) and the promotion of its tourist destinations remain to be the optimal initiatives that the Palawan BR can specialize in. These initiatives, however, are not enough.

The CLWUPs of municipalities, which are often drafted with limited regard for the best sustainable package or design, remain to


4. CONCLUSION AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS


be the best document to plot the course of local economies. These documents must contain an arsenal of environmental and economic activities that are tailored to the carrying capacity and suitability of the natural environment. The CLWUPs must contain the specialized macro-industries for each municipality. A region or municipality must take advantage of its niche products, be it seaweeds, cashew or reef fishes (Figure 5).

The third level industry, service industry, appears to be more pronounced in urban areas than in rural ones. The urban centers of Palawan province must be carefully assessed in order to distribute this service level throughout the province and to prevent the creation of passive service areas or the economically “dead zones.” The fourth level industry, that involves science and technology, can be best achieved by building hard and soft infrastructures. The hard infrastructure may pertain to the aggressive sourcing of renewable energy, the building of information and communication technology (ICT) highways, and the building of energy efficient facilities. At best, the strategic location of Palawan as a backdoor area to Malaysia and Vietnam can be exploited as a way to develop the air and seaport facilities in Palawan. Singapore and Subic Bay can be replicated as model sites of shipping lanes and docking area. If this potential is explored, Palawan can become a hub of economic activity and it will be able to sustain its own income while not relying heavily on its natural resource base.

The enrichment of ecosystems through forest planting and regeneration, creation of resilient buffer zones, and a diverse array of livelihood and business projects in multiple use zones can serve as future environmental bonds or surety whose future value is only expected to rise. This can satisfy the ecological viability and social acceptability requirements of human welfare. Securing human welfare appears to be a good standard to measure a project’s impact to environment. The same can be used to gauge the efficacy of ECAN, the SEP Law, and the inscription of Palawan as a biosphere reserve.

The characteristic of Palawan BR as an environmental center and biodiversity hotspot is already acknowledged. Its designation as an economic center is also within sight once the sustainable strategies such as the ECAN are reconfigured to address the need to create economic industries that are suitable to its critical and fragile ecosystems. Meanwhile, it

is imperative that the local governments of Palawan play a stronger role in the economic development of the province by focusing on investments in basic services that involve specific targets. Examples include teacher training to upgrade the quality of education in the elementary and secondary levels, pursuit of economic development around its most competitive industries, taking the lead of and integration of initiatives of key players in the province, fiscal prudence, and good governance. It would be best for the Palawan BR to learn from the paths taken by its Asian neighbors, notably Singapore and Malaysia.

BRs are established to demonstrate the harmonious co-existence between humans and their environment especially in the face of the negative impacts of unequivocal climate change. This co-existence is already happening in Palawan BR, to some extent. Nonetheless, its optimal functionality still requires a more efficient allocation of political will.


Figure 5. Harvested (a) seaweed and (b) reef fishes in Northern Palawan. (Photo courtesy PCSDS)

(b)

(a)


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Palawan Integrated Area Development Project Office (PIADPO). 1985. Strategic Environmental Plan for Mainland Palawan. Manila: National Council on Integrated Area Development.

Robinson, A.S., Fleischmann, A.S., McPherson, S.R., Heinrich, V.B., Gironel-la, E.P., and Peña, C.Q. 2009. A spectacu-lar new species of Nepenthes L. (Nepenthaceae)



pitcher plant from central Palawan, Philippines. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 159: 195–202.

Sandalo, R.M. 1996. Sustainable Development and the Environmental Plan for Palawan. In Eder, J.F., and J.O. Fernandez, eds. Palawan at the crossroads: Development and the Environment on a Philippine frontier. Manila: Ateneo de Manila University Press. pp. 127-135.


Palawan Bearcat

(Arctictis binturong),

only found in Palawan.

(©Jonah van Beijnen)

Sandalo, R.M., and Baltazar, T.. 1997. The Palawan Biosphere Reserve (Philippines). Working Papers No. 19, 1997. Paris, France: UNESCO (South-South Cooperation Programme for Environmentally Sound Socio-Economic Development in the Humid Tropics).

Vinluan, R.J.N. 2004. Delineation of ECAN zones using GIS. ECAN Zoning Component, Sustainable Environmental Management Project in Northern Palawan – JBIC Project.

Palawan Pit Viper

(Trimeresurus schultzei),

highly venomous and

only found in Palawan.

(©Jonah van Beijnen)

our palawan - pkp.pcsd.gov.ph palawan 5.pdf · of the two biosphere reserves in the philippines....

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