Small-scale fishermen, whose livelihoods depend mainly on municipal waters, require expanded fishing territory due to the continued degradation of the marine habitat, according to Vincent V. Hilomen, project manager of SMARTSeas PH. SMARTSeas PH — Strengthening Marine Protected Areas to Conserve Marine Key Biodiversity Areas in the Philippines — aims to help arrest the degradation through better management at the local level among officials and people’s organizations, ensuring financial sustainability, and establishing enabling policies. In an interview, Mr. Hilomen said based on studies assessing Philippine coral reefs, only 5% of the country’s marine resources are in “excellent condition.”

Padillo, M. M. (2018, October 29). SMARTSeas PH Project aims to arrest marine resource degradation. BusinessWorld, p. S2/8.