ISO Project Areas

Municipality of Culion

Palawan

The Culion Island, facing the Coron Bay in Palawan, is one of the Marine Key Biodiversity Areas in the Philippines. Since 2016, the ISO has been assisting in protecting the integrity of the island’s biodiversity, particularly the coastal and marine resources. Through the participatory governance and community-based natural resources management (CB-NRM) strategies, the local communities and stakeholders are involved in coastal, marine, and mangrove protection and conservation activities. From this endeavor, the ISO encouraged and strengthened the participation of 6 fisherfolk organizations in selected barangays in Culion. As of 2018, they have reforested over 62 hectares of mangrove forests with community-based nursery-grown seedlings. They have also established approximately 350 hectares of marine protected areas (MPAs). The ISO also assisted in the formation and strengthening of the Culion Municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (MFARMC), Bantay-Dagat, and the Culion Livelihood Ecosystem (CLE), which is a multi-sectoral network of local organizations in Culion. Furthermore, the ISO has been helping its partner fisherfolk organizations in operationalizing their livelihood enterprises as they participate in CB-NRM efforts.