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Philippines

Canipo

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Conservation benefit: Extension of a 37-acre marine protected area for 20 more years

Community benefit: New multipurpose building

Date Approved: 01.2011

Ocean

This project protects ocean ecosystems, making coastal communities more economically and physically secure in the face of climate change.

Canipo is an isolated island barangay (village) in the Municipality of Magsaysay, in Palawan Province, with a population of about 1,500. The Andres Soriano Foundation (with whom Seacology has partnered in Barangays Manamoc and Rizal) has been helping Canipo protect its natural resources. In 2005, the village declared a 15-hectare (37-acre) portion of its coastal area as a marine protected area (MPA). Since then, use of destructive fishing methods such as dynamite, sodium cyanide, and fine nets has dramatically declined. As a result, marine life in the area is on the increase. Villagers who used to engage in dynamite fishing are now raising livestock in the hills of the island.

To strengthen community support for the MPA, the local fisherfolk organization regularly conducts seminars on coastal resource management. It also offers trainings on alternative livelihoods for its members. There is no sheltered place for these meetings to take place. The community needs a venue for its activities and requested a Seacology grant  to build a multipurpose building. In return, they pledged to keep protecting the MPA for at least another 20 years.

Project Updates

June 2011

The community has already procured most of the materials needed to construct their multi-purpose building. The project is expected to be completed by November.

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Full or partial funding for this project provided by Seacology UK.

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