Status of Marine Protected Areas in Nasugbu, Batangas, Philippines: Basis in Scaling Up its Marine Conservation Initiatives

The study aimed to identify the present status of the Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Nasugbu, Batangas, Philippines and to determine the possible course of action to be undertaken to scale up the marine conservation initiatives for these MPAs.The respondents of the study include 30 key informants purposively chosen from selected coastal areas of Barangay Papaya, Nasugbu, Batangas. Findings of the study revealed that the enormous number of species found within the identified MPAs is an indication of the great number of habitat opportunities afforded by this environment. In addition to the observable community of flora and fauna visible below and above the reef's surface, there are still thousands of unnoticed, diverse communities of organisms that live in regenerating coral slabs and rocks or in the crevices of the coral reefs in the identified MPAs. This study also revealed the ongoing environmental challenges within the areas and calls for collaboration among the local government officials and stakeholders in redefining and strengthening the conservation initiatives for MPAs to meet local, national and international commitments, to preserve ecological balance and to reduce the ongoing deterioration of their marine biodiversity.