Development and conservation of Philippine mangroves: institutional issues

The decline of Philippine mangroves from half a million hectares in 1918 to only 120 000 ha in 1994 may be traced to local exploitation for fuelwood a nd conversion to agriculture, salt beds, industry and settlements. But brac kishwater pond culture, whose history is intertwined with that of mangroves , remains the major cause of loss. The paper discusses the institutional is sues - aquaculture as development strategy, low economic rent of mangroves, overlapping bureaucracy and conflicting policies, corruption, weak law enf orcement and lack of political will relevant to this decline. Recommended p olicies are based on these institutional factors and the experiences in man grove rehabilitation including community-based efforts and government progr ams such as the 1984 Central Visayas Regional Project. These recommendation s include conservation of remaining mangroves, rehabilitation of degraded s ites including abandoned ponds, mangrove-friendly aquaculture, community-ba sed and integrated coastal area management, and provision of tenurial instr uments. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.