Problem overview:

     Awareness and visions: Environmental problems caused by poverty, increasing population and irresponsible commercial abuse of natural resources plagues many of the countries in the Region. Governments have tried a huge number of incentives and controls with little or no effect - and sometimes leading to even worse conditions.

     Integrating stakeholders: But sometimes success comes from unexpected directions. In this example from the Republic of the Philippines, decentralization has given the city government of Bantay Puerto the power to formulate and implement their own Development plan for conservation and rehabilitation of natural resources.

Background:

     Community participation results in environmental improvement

     Bantay Puerto Programme was established at the local level for environmental conservation: The City of Puerto Princesa on the island of Palawan, was a microcosm of the Philippines' environmental drift. Its forests and seas were severely degraded by both commercial abuse and the rapid increase in both population and poverty. The City government began the Bantay Puerto Program to protect, conserve and rehabilitate.

     Empowerment of local communities through decentralization: Local communities were empowered to manage the resources, with the government furnishing the necessary enabling conditions, such as through programmes that provided users with the incentives and expertise to properly manage their resources. The efficacy of the community-based approach to resource management may be seen from the success of a number of initiatives anchored to such an approach.

     The same initiative is being implemented in other areas: Similar initiatives are being undertaken in other regions and applied to other environmentally oriented projects such as solid waste management. Those successes are being echoed nationwide through the Galing Pook award, which recognizes innovative local government projects and initiatives.

     Community involvement increases the likelihood of a successful outcome: The effectiveness of the community-based approach has yet to be evaluated on a national scale. However, at the local level experience shows that projects with significant community involvement and commitment have a high likelihood of success.