Understanding and Analyzing the Role of Women in the Management of Selected Marine Protected Areas in San Juan Batangas

Abstract

The Philippines hosts a prolific and vastly diverse marine and coastal resources which makes it the third highest in marine biodiversity in the world. However, due to increasing human population that results in increased fishing pressure, these rich marine resources are at risk of degradation. To address this and comply with the mandate of National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) and Fisheries Code, the government established marine protected areas or fish sanctuaries. At present, the national government manages only 33 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) under NIPAS while the local governments oversee the management of 1,620 as mandated under the Fisheries Code. However, despite this number of MPAs, both state and LGU-managed, it was assessed that its spatial coverage was not ecologically representative of the areas that need protection. Similarly, it was also cited that the weak and ineffective governance of several MPAs contributes to the continuing degradation of these MPAs. And to improve the management of MPAs, all stakeholders and sectors must actively participate, including women, in its management. Women, whose roles seem to be unnoticed, can be an active agent of change in MPA management. Hence, this study aimed to understand the role of women in MPA management through the perceptions of 25 women and 8 men in 12 MPAs in San Juan Batangas. Key informant interviews were also done with officers of local government unit in San Juan Batangas and in the Provincial Government of Batangas. It was found out that both women and men perceived that the current supporting role of women in the monitoring of the sea from their houses is already sufficient and enough. Other roles than this are still unacknowledged and unnoticed which do not seem to matter to women themselves and even to the local government. Probably because they have yet to recognize their potential and strengths as women. These perceptions made women remain on the sideline in taking greater roles in MPA management. And the lack of awareness of men and women of what women can do well and significantly contribute in community development in general is contributing to these perceptions. The potential of women in increasing the effectiveness of MPA management is huge given their role in the family as well as their natural characteristics. Increasing women participation in MPA management is not about replacing or out-powering men. It is about recognizing their differences in needs and issues and tapping their potential and strengths as key stakeholders in finding solutions and improving the MPA management and eventually in sustaining the productivity of their resource base for their family sustenance.