Activities in
Ibajay and Tangalan, Aklan
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A.
Ibajay, Aklan
Mangroves have provided coastal communities a
variety of goods and services including fisheries
and forest products, nurseries for commercial fish
and shellfish, wildlife habitats, and protection
from typhoons and floods. Philippine mangroves are
among the most diverse – the many Filipino villages
and towns named after mangroves, e.g., Manila,
reflect their diversity and abundance in times past.
Sadly, mangroves have declined from half a million
hectares in the early 1900s to only around 100,000
hectares today due to conversion mainly to
aquaculture ponds, but also settlements, croplands,
etc. A few untouched mangroves remain because of
their relative inaccessibility and/or protection by
local officials and communities. The town of Ibajay
in Aklan, central Philippines has one such small but
relatively pristine patch forest – the
Bugtongbato-Naisud mangroves which feature 27 of the
~35 species of true mangroves found in the
Philippines, including the most magnificent
Avicennia rumphiana trees in the Philippines,
and perhaps Southeast Asia. The following timeline
highlights the significant events in the life of
this forest, including local government initiatives
and interventions from SEAFDEC AQD, ZSL and other
international organizations.
Katunggan
It Ibajay Eco-Park Timeline of Events
1980s
1996
1998
1999
2000
-
Aklan Province
creates Provincial Technical Working Group (PTWG)
through Exec. Order 25 to formulate and
implement Integrated Coastal Resource Management
and Area Development Program (including Ibajay
mangroves) in consultation with stakeholders
-
Aklan Provincial
LGU and SEAFDEC AQD sign MOA on research studies
and other projects in Ibajay; joint construction
of mangrove treehouse, concrete stairs
2001
2002 - 2005
-
Initial discussion
with LGU on mangrove footwalk and eco-tourism in
Ibajay
Mangrove/ mud crabs Scylla research by
University of Wales graduate students (MJH
Lebata, K Hutchinson, M Langdown)
-
Continued mapping
of Bugtong Bato-Naisud mangroves
2004
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2006- 2007
-
Signing of LGU
Ibajay–Pew Fellows (JH Primavera) MOA on
Mangrove Conservation, including construction
plans and GPS mapping of Bugtongbato-Naisud
mangrove footwalk
-
Case Study on
Mangrove Eco-Tourism Project by JM Estolloso,
other LGU staff
2008
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Construction of 30
meters footwalk by LGU Ibajay with Pew
Fellowship support; DENR survey of total
mangrove area within timberland = 44.22 hectares
-
Start of
Community-Based Mangrove Rehabilitation Project
in the Philippines (CMRP) supported by the
Zoological Society of London (ZSL), including
gathering of socio-economic data in
Bugtongbato-Naisud
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Creation of
Katunggan It Ibajay Technical Working Group (KII
TWG)
2009
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MOA signed between
LGU Ibajay and ZSL regarding implementation of
the CMRP
-
Organizational
formation and strengthening of the POs
Bugtongbato Fisherfolk Association (BFA) and
Naisud Mangrove and Aquatic Organization (NAMAO)
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Regular team
meetings and planning of KII TWG of Mangrove
Eco-park activities
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20 May: Passage of
Municipal Ord. No. 092 “… Declaring 44.22
Hectares of mangroves in Barangays Bugtongbato
and Naisud, Ibajay, Aklan as Mangrove
Eco-tourism Park”
-
Processing of
CBFMA application of BFA and NAMAO for 25-yr
management of Bugtongbato-Naisud mangroves
-
LGU Ibajay, ZSL
and ASU-CHARRM sign MOA for conduct of training
on eco-tourism and value adding food products
for Mangrove Eco-tourism Project
-
Construction of
Welcome Center, 120 meters footwalk (to the
century-old trees area) by POs, 670 meters
footwalk (continuation from main road) by LGU +
and 80 meters footwalk (near century old trees)
by ZSL
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Training of local
officials, PO members on tour guiding; tagging
of mangrove trees
2010
2000 - present
-
Visits of Swedish,
Japanese, British, American and other foreign
scientists; Conduct of mangrove training courses
for researchers, NGOs, POs, etc.
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Publications
Agbayani RF, D Baticados, LMB Garcia, AQ Hurtado, JL
Lebata, CL Marte, LC dela Peña, JH Primavera, and Y
Primavera-Tirol. 2000. An Assessment of the Coastal
Resources of Ibajay and Tangalan, Aklan:
Implications for Management, 2nd ed. SEAFDEC
Aquaculture Department, Tigbauan, Iloilo
Primavera JH. 2002. The patch mangroves of Ibajay,
Aklan in Panay Island – a microcosm of mangroves in
the Philippines, pp. 77-88. In: Proceedings of the
Ecotone X – Ecosystem Valuation for Assessing
Functions Goods and Services of Coastal Ecosystems
in Southeast Asia, Hanoi, Vietnam, 19-23 Nov. 2001
Primavera JH, RB Sadaba, MJHL Lebata and JP
Altamirano. 2004. Handbook of Mangroves in the
Philippines – Panay. SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department
(Philippines) and UNESCO Man and the Biosphere
ASPACO Project, 106 pp.
Hutchinson KJ. 2005. Distribution and composition of
mangrove flora within the Bugtong Bato/Naisud
mangrove, Ibajay, Panay Island, the Philippines. MSc
Thesis. University of Wales, Bangor.
Langdown MJ. 2005. Distribution and zonation of
Scylla spp. mud crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda) in
mangrove habitats, Ibajay, Island of Panay, the
Philippines. MSc Thesis. University of Wales,
Bangor.
Lebata MJHL. 2006. Stock enhancement of the mud
crabs Scylla spp. in the mangroves of Naisud and
Bugtong Bato, Ibajay, Aklan, Philippines. PhD
Thesis. University of Wales, Bangor
Estolloso JM, LB Ilinon, BB Masangkay and IR Redison.
2007. Case Study on Ibajay Mangrove Eco-Tourism
Project. Requirement for Masters in Public
Administration, Aklan State University (unpub.)
Lebata, MJHL, L LeVay, JH Primavera, ME Walton and
JB Binas. 2007. Baseline assessment of fisheries for
three species of mud crabs (Scylla spp.) in the
mangroves of Ibajay, Aklan, Philippines. Bull. Mar.
Sci. 80: 891-904
Primavera, JH, JP Altamirano, MJHL Lebata, AA delos
Reyes Jr. and CL Pitogo. 2007. Mangroves and shrimp
pond culture effluents in Aklan, Panay Is., central
Philippines. Bull. Mar. Sci. 80: 795-804
Le Vay L, MJH Lebata, M Walton, J Primavera, E
Quinitio, C Lavilla-Pitogo, F Parado-Estepa, E
Rodriguez, VN Ut, TT Nghia, P Sorgeloos and M Wille.
2008. Approaches to stock enhancement in
mangrove-associated crab fisheries. Rev. Fish. Sci.
16 (1-2): 72-80
Katunggan
It Ibajay Eco-Park Flyer
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Picture
Gallery
B. Tangalan,
Aklan
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