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Batangas, Philippines

Last modified December 11, 2008

The Philippines is composed of 7,107 islands. It is a country rich in culture with a colorful history. It is also known as the Pearl of the Orient.

Batangas in the Philippines is the site of the first project implemented under the Joint Communique. Through the project, ANAK-BALAYAN is able to engage several institutions in promoting sustainable management of coastal and marine resources in the municipality, including three academic institutions, four private sectors/corporations, four civic organizations, six people’s organizations and 11 coastal communities in Balayan. The organized and concerted efforts of ANAK-BALAYAN and its partners has resulted to stronger implementation of community projects including joint initiatives to address sustainable livelihood, land use planning, water quality monitoring, waste management, rehabilitation of mangrove coral reefs as well as law enforcement. With greater involvement of various sectors and community, coastal and marine management is being mainstreamed into local action plans and inculcated in community consciousness and regular activities. Scaling up of existing experiences in Balayan is being considered in the nearby municipality of Calatagan.

Site Overview

  • Location: Part of the Southern Tagalog Region, in Luzon Island, and found south of Metro Manila
  • Coastline: 336 km
  • Land area: 3,165.81 km2
  • Sea area: 220 km2
  • Major bays: Batangas Bay, Balayan Bay, Pagapas Bay, Talin Bay, and Nasugbu Bay, Sigayan Bay, Coloconto Bay, Tayabas Bay

Demography

  • Population: 2,148,940

Ecological Values

  • Estuarine, mangrove and mudflats areas
  • Marine resources
  • Biodiversity

Economic Activities

  • Agriculture (coconut, copra, sugarcane, rice, corn), livestock and poultry, industry (e.g., oil refineries, ship building and fabrication, wood treatment, power generation, chemical manufacturing, flour milling, alcohol distilleries)
  • Port development
  • Tourism
  • Industries and manufacturing
  • Fisheries (fishing, fry gathering, and brackishwater aquaculture)

Environmental Threats

  • Solid waste generation, collection and disposal
  • Water and air pollution
  • Municipal fishing
  • Mining and quarrying
  • Shipping and port development
  • Human settlements and population growth, especially in coastal areas
  • Participation of private sector, and nongovernmental organizations in environmental management
  • Integrated policies, plans, programs and institutional support for the purpose of examining the key environmental management issues and the factors that contribute to their occurence.