CCEF past and present projects

Saving Philippine Reefs (since early 1980s-current) supported by individual donors is an annual coral reef and marine protected area (MPA) monitoring activities led by CCEF President, Dr. Alan T. White. The project surveys coral reefs, determines trends in reef status, and trains divers in reef survey techniques and data collection/analysis.

Marine Protected Area (MPA) Project (2001-2004) supported by the Pew Fellows for Conservation Award to Dr. Alan T. White, Principal Investigator, improved the management of coral reefs in MPAs using a management rating system.

Integrated Population and Coastal Resource Management (IPOPCORM) Project (2002-2007) supported by Path Foundation – Philippines. The project addressed the coastal population growth issue through educating coastal communities about responsible parenting and reproductive health options.

Local Governance for Coastal Management Project in Central Visayas (2003-2010) supported by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. The project assisted the implementation of the coastal resource management (CRM) plans of each town in of Southern Cebu and the Province of Siquijor and, up-scaled the program to the shared management of MPA networks/town clusters through organized councils.

Coastal Resource Management Reference Project (2004-2005) initiated by CCEF, and supported by the Coral Reef Alliance, distributed reference books to local governments, community organizations and schools, as well as establishing the Alan T. White Library and Learning Center;

Expanded MPA Project (2005-2006) supported by Canada for Local Initiatives and United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (US-NOAA). The project enhanced the management of MPAs in selected project locations in Negros Oriental and Batangas;

Resource Valuation and Information, Education, and Communications (IEC) Component of the Bohol Marine Triangle Project (2005-2006) supported by the United Nations Development Programme , the Global Environment Facility (UNDP-GEF), and the Foundation for the Philippine Environment (FPE). The project enhanced the education aspect of coastal resource management to the local community and local managers through improved MPA management practices;

Coral Rehabilitation Project (2005-2006) supported by the Pew Fellows Grant awarded to Dr. Edgardo Gomez(Principal Investigator, PI), implemented by CCEF in collaboration with Silliman University Marine Laboratory (Dumaguete City), developed and used novel tools for managing habitats and responding to coral reef degradation;

Enhancement of Marine Protected Areas for Fisheries and Tourism Project (2006-2008) in Mabini and Tingloy, Batangas supported by Canada Fund for Local Initiatives. This project improved the management of selected MPAs in the project sites;

Establishing and Maintenance of Workplace Family Planning Program in Firms without Family Planning Programs (2006-2008) supported by Private Sector Mobilization for Family Health Project (PRISM) Project through Chemonics International. This project improved the welfare and family health of employees in 30 selected firms in the Mactan Economic Processing Zone (MEPZ) in Cebu by using guidelines developed by PRISM, in line with Department of Labor and Employment Philippines (DOLE) standards;

Marine Protected Area Project (2007-2009) in Tingloy, Batangas supported by First Conservation Philippines, Inc. This project improved the management of select MPAs in the project site;

Bantayan Island Coastal Resource Management Project (2007-2008) supported by Ford Motors Group Philippines. The project enhanced the education aspect of coastal resource management to the local community through improved MPA management practices;

Developing the Municipal User-Fee System Project (2007-2008) supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through Sustainable Coastal Tourism in Asia (SCOTIA)/Louis Berger Group, Inc. The project developed and implemented a user-fee system in select MPAs located in Cebu;

Developing a Provincial MPA Management Effectiveness Program in the Province of Cebu (2008-2010) supported by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (US-NOAA) with project sites located in Northern Cebu. The project improved MPA management through capacity-building trainings and planning;

Understanding and Planning for the Socio-Ecological Dimensions of MPA Networks in the Philippines and Beyond Project in Southeast Cebu and Danajon Bank (2007-2009) supported by Pew Fellows for Marine Conservation and University of Washington, Seattle, USA with CCEF Board Member Dr. Patrick Christie as PI. This project studied the socio-ecological aspects behind effective MPA management and addressed issues through capacity-building training;

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Database and Query Tool for Governance Feasibility of Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) in the Philippines Project (2007-2008) supported by UC-Santa Barbara National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS). This project developed an online tool to be used by MPA managers to store information about their MPAs and share lessons with other MPA managers;

Establishing Partnerships with Dive Professionals for Coral Reef and Species Conservation Project (2007-2008) supported by Conservation International - Philippines. This endeavor developed education materials that targeted scuba divers. The materials educated divers about responsible diving habits, respect for and compliance to MPA rules and regulation, and gave them opportunities to help in enhancing MPA management and the local diving industry;

Ecogov IQS Task Order: Strengthening the Southwest MPA Cluster in Cebu and the Siquijor Provincial MPA Network (2008-2009) supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI). This project strengthened the joint town councils through capacity-building training to enhance MPA-network management;

Determining Management Effectiveness of MPAs in the Asia-Pacific Region Project (2008-2010) with support from the National Geographic Society (NGS). This project rated MPAs all over the Philippines in terms of management effectiveness and stored them in an enhanced database with integrated GIS features;

Developing a Provincial MPA Management Program in the Province of Cebu, Philippines Project (2008-2009) with funding support from the United States - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (US-NOAA). The project improved MPA management at a provincial level with relevant capacity training and planning;

Adopt-a-Mangrove (2008-present) supported by Philippine-based companies/corporations this program promotes reforestation and rehabilitation of mangrove forests in the Philippines. Corporations ‘adopt’ mangrove planting sites through CCEF’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) program. Project locations change through the years, depending on company support, within the provinces of Cebu and Batangas.

Solid Waste Management Project in Malapascua Island, Cebu (2009-2010) supported by Department of Tourism - Philippines (DOT). The project improved solid waste management practices in Malapascua Island;

Building Siquijodnon's Resilience to disasters and climate change through community-based mangrove reforestation (2009-2010) supported by the United States - Department of State with project location in the Province of Siquijor, Philippines. The project built the island’s coastal communities’ resilience to climate change by mangrove rehabilitation and reforestation;

Mechanisms by which no-take marine protected areas enhance surrounding fish yields: implications for food security in a developing country (2009-2011) supported by the Conservation, Food, Health Foundation through Dr. Aileen Maypa (PI). This project contributed to coral reef fishery conservation and food security in developing countries by utilizing existing fishery management tools, such as marine protected areas (MPAs). A major output were the scientific findings recommending effective MPA designs.

Applying a Systematic Conservation Planning Framework to Develop a Provincial MPA Network Management Plan for Siquijor, Philippines Project (2010-2012) supported by the United States - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (US-NOAA). The project developed an effective MPA network conservation plan for Siquijor and capacitated local managers in implementing that plan;

Scaling-up Management of Locally-Managed MPAs in Central Philippines (2010-2012) supported by the United States - National Fisheries and Wildlife Foundation (US-NFWF). The project enhanced MPA management in specific MPAs in Northern Cebu, Philippines through capacity-building trainings and the application of MPA best practices;

Communities Learning to Stop Abuse and Nurture Social Empowerment (CLEANSE) Project (2010-2012) supported by the European Union - Delegation of the European Commission to the Philippines. The project contributed to the reduction of incidences of violence against women and their children (or VAWC) in Cebu City and Cebu Province. This includes the improvement of the implementation and monitoring of local and national legal instruments against VAWC through citizen’s participation.

Danajon Bank Marine Park Project (2011-2013) supported by United States Agency for International Development (USAID-Philippines) through Cooperative Agreement No. AID-492-A-11-0002. With project locations in the provinces of Bohol, Cebu, Southern Leyte, and Leyte in the Philippines, the project enhanced the quality of life of resource dependent stakeholders in Danajon Bank through the effective management of a large-scale MPA, improved conditions of habitats and fisheries, and the established economic development opportunities.;

Camiguin Coastal Resource Management Project 2 (2012-2014) supported by New Zealand Agency for International Development-Philippines (NZAid-Phil) and ANZDEC Limited. The project focuses on improving coastal resource management in the provincial island of Camiguin;

Consolidating MPA Network Planning for resilience in Siquijor (Dec. 2011 - Oct. 2013) supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für International Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and Adaptation to Climate Change in Coastal Areas (ACCCoast). The project strengthens the institutional coordination and capacity of the Provincial Marine Protected Areas Technical Support (PMPATS) group, applies scientific principles for resilient MPA network design and management, and enhances stakeholder participation in MPA management in Siquijor Province.

Marine Protected Area and Coral Reef Monitoring Data and Information System Project (2012-2014) supported by Unico Conservation Foundation in Australia. This project contributes to the better management of MPAs in the Philippines through coral reef monitoring, training, public outreach, and the development of a robust MPA data information system.

Advocating Science-based MPA designs through IEC Advocacy (2013), supported by the Foundation for Philippine Environment (FPE). This project translated scientific materials on MPA effective designs and related findings to popular materials in order for the concepts to be understood more by the MPA local communities, MPA managers, LGUs and, the non-scientific community in general.

United States - Coral Triangle Initiative Learning Project (US-CTI) (Jul. - Sep. 2013) supported by World Wide Fund (WWF). This study collected data on the impact of the Coral Triangle Initiative in targeted Philippine sites.

Enhancing Resiliency and Climate Change Adaptation through coral restoration and reef fish recovery using marine protected area (MPA) as a tool (Dec. 2013 - Mar. 2014) supported by supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für International Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and Adaptation to Climate Change in Coastal Areas (ACCCoast). This project focuses on the study of coral reef and fisheries restoration in MPAs in the province of Siquijor.

Coral reef damage assessment in Northern Cebu and vicinity after the Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) Devastation (Nov. 2013 - Jun. 2014) funded by 3 Villages + 1 Goal/Aboitiz Foundation and CCEF’s - Yolanda Funds - collected from individual donors internationally. This endeavor provides relief packs to affected families in Northern Cebu of the Typhoon Yolanda disaster. Other interventions include providing reconstruction materials (i.e. roofing, nails, etc.) to selected schools. Further, coral rehabilitation assessments, in partnership with 3V+1G/Aboitiz Foundation, were done in MPAs in Northern Cebu.

Tourism and community resilience: Implications for achieving success in conservation supported by ecotourism (Nov. 2013 - Feb. 2014) supported by James Cook University through Dr. Amy Diedrich. This study collects socio-economic information from communities with MPAs, in Siquijor Province, to help determine the viability of, and plan for, improved ecotourism activities.

Coral reef rehabilitation protocol development for typhoon damaged coral reefs in selected marine protected areas in Siquijor Province (2013-2014) supported by the Siquijor Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council. This fund allocated to materials, equipment, and transportation for the Siquijor LGU and provided partial travel and accommodation expenses to CCEF diver scientists.

An Evaluation of the Tubbataha Management Office’s Information, Education, and Communications (IEC) School Visits in 11 Schools and 11 Coastal Villages in Palawan, Philippines (Dec. 2013 - Feb. 2014) funded by the Tubbataha Management Office (TMO) through Deutsche Gesellschaft für InternationalZusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. This study assesses the impact of the TMO's educational activities in sites surrounding the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (2013), established by the National Integrated Protected Areas (NIPAS) Act.