The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca), in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenar-beit GmbH and the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, is currently implementing the Protected Area Management Enhancement (PAME) Project which aims to enhance the management of 60 existing protected areas (PAs) and the establishment of at least 100 new terrestrial or marine protected areas in the country. ThE Searca study team composed of two sub-teams recently conducted the Management Effectiveness and Capacity Assessment (MECA) survey in 12 PAs covering the Calabarzon (Region 4A) and the Bicol Region (Region 5). One hundred seventy-five PAMB members participated in the MECA survey.

Effective protected areas management pushed. (2013, August 7). The Manila Times, p. B4.