Photo courtesy of WCS PhilippinesIt may have taken the better part of 18 years, but the Philippines officially designated Bitaug in the province of Siquijor as a Marine Protected Area (MPA).
Today, Bitaug is the province’s largest MPA, covering 149.46 hectares of vibrant coastal ocean.
Siquijor State College’s assistant extension director Peachy Baquita said of the designation: “This momentous event is not just the launching or inauguration of a protected site, it is a powerful step forward in our collective journey toward environmental sustainability, coastal resilience, and community empowerment.”
Kristine Kate Lim, country director of WCS Philippines, added: “Our coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangroves are interconnected. They must be protected together if we truly want to secure our environment and our future. This initiative is a powerful step in that direction.”
The MPA designation reflects years of participatory planning and consultations, community leadership, and support from a huge variety of agencies and NGO partners like WCS.
Bitaug is home to climate-resilient coral reefs, seagrass meadows, commercially important fish stocks, and vibrant populations of sea turtles and sharks.
It is notable that the area has explicit rules prohibiting the catch of sharks and rays unless these are meant for research purposes.
This makes Bitaug part of a growing roster of MPAs around the world with targeted protections for these vulnerable species.
Locals matter
Central to the MPA’s success is the Bitaug Fisherfolk Association (BitFA), which co-manages the site with the local government.
BitFA members advocated for the creation of the MPA for years and will play a key role in enforcement, operations, and awareness-building for the new MPA, with support from Siquijor State College, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), and WCS Philippines.
BitFA president Othello Manos remarked: “We are willing to be of service to this MPA. Hopefully, in time, we will truly take charge of managing and caring for our MPA. This is the beginning of what we’ve been dreaming of for almost eighteen years.”
The initiative is a testament to the power of persistence, strong community leadership, and multi-sectoral collaboration, and now stands as a roadmap for the other coastal municipalities in the province.
In a turn of innovative MPA design, Bitaug is to be governed by a management framework that includes revenue-sharing from eco-tourism activities like snorkeling and diving, ensuring conservation benefits are reinvested into local conservation and community development.
As the largest marine protected area in Siquijor, Bitaug MPA is more than a boundary on a map, but serves as a beacon of hope for ocean health and community resilience.
