Bataan Coastal Resource Management Programs Environmental, Socio-Economic, and Implementation Issues from Stakeholders’ Views

A study on the status of Bataan’s coastal zones, and the issues on the province’s coastal resource management (CRM) programs under an integrated framework was commissioned by the Department of Science and Technology-Region III in the Philippines. Twenty-eight representative coastal villages and 11 water testing sites served as study areas. The research participants totalled to 1,300. Focused group discussions, survey and interviews, laboratory testing, documentary analysis, and literature review were used in the data gathering. It was concluded that the province’s coastal zones are in a disturbed state, which has negative implications to its already subsistent coastal population and important coastal economic activities. The province’s CRM projects have been arbitrary and intermittent. There are too few conservation initiatives due to scarcity of baseline data necessary for more methodical CRM programs. There is poor grassroots level involvement in CRM decision-making processes as well which clearly defeats the essence of integrated coastal management. A coordinated effort to strengthen stakeholder participation in critical CRM stages, and to conduct more comprehensive profilings and assessments of the province’s coastal environment involving the government, academics, and scientists are recommended to substantiate stakeholder involvement and increase the quality of data for CRM projects.

Keywords –Coastal resource management, Coastal management, Coastal zone management, Integrated coastal management, Bataan