Three Towns Prepare Climate Change Adaptation Plans

May 29, 2012

 

 

 

Climate change poses a serious threat to the health and livelihoods of the Philippine communities within the Coral Triangle.

 

Three municipalities in the Philippines have developed their climate change adaptation (CCA) plans for 2012 to 2020.

 

The new CCA plans feature a range of structural and biological mechanisms which improve the management of key marine protected areas, integrate watershed management, engage local media, reform waste management, and establish an “early warning” system for imminent disasters.

 

Based upon a number of studies and surveys facilitated by USAID through WWF-Philippines, the CCA planning forms a key step towards achieving the goals of the Coral Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP) in the Philippines.

 

During a series of workshops held in during August and September 2011, participants from Taytay, Tawi-Tawi, and Sibutu municipalities identified actions which equip their communities for the climate change risks they now face.

 

A large portion of the people living within Taytay, Tawi-Tawi, and Sibutu rely on the live reef fish trade for their income, however threats such as coral bleaching, sea level rise and extreme weather threaten livelihoods. Of the five coral reefs surveyed in Taytay Bay during 2010, only one retains more than 60% hard coral cover.

 

Taytay Municipal Administrator Benson Morales notes that climate change threats should be addressed immediately. “May panahon pa [there is still time] – we should start now,” he said.

 

Abdurahman Mandaling, Municipal Assessor of Sibutu, says, “The CCA planning heightens our awareness and prepares [us] for any drastic changes…we will work more closely with our fellow constituents [on] these plans.”

 

Over the next two years, USAID will continue to support the governments and stakeholders from these key municipalities as they work to deliver the their CCA plans as well as other goals in the Philippines’ National Plan of Action for the Coral Triangle Initiative.

 

Download PDF