It is not that nothing has been done to arrest the decline of the Philippine coastal environment. In fact, the Philippines is considered a pioneer in the still evolving CRM disciplines. The country’s experience in CRM dates back to the early 1980s, when various sectors, alerted to the growing problem of environmental degradation in the coastal area, began to conceptualize and implement several projects designed to bring about sustainable management and use of coastal resources.

Initially, programs followed the traditional tree hugger’s line that resources must be preserved, oblivious of the needs and desires of the communities that depended on them. Seeds of Hope, an authoritative collection of case studies on community-based CRM in the Philippines, notes how the government initially used the "top-down approach" by promoting the establishment of protected areas, "with practically no community involvement."

"This approach did not work," the publication relates. "[C]oral reef areas proclaimed as marine parks continued to be ravaged by fishers and users of destructive fishing methods."

The experience did not come to naught, however, for from it emerged lessons that proved valuable in the development of the now widely accepted community-based CRM. As Seeds of Hope relates, in the mid-1970s, Silliman University, through its research facility on Sumilon Island in Central Visayas, started a program which included "some elements of community participation."

The concept spread rapidly in the NGO and academic sectors and more slowly among government agencies. "Through CBCRM," observes Seeds of Hope, "several protected areas in the Visayas and Luzon were established and maintained by organized communities, notably on the small islands of Apo (Negros Oriental), Balicasag and Pamilacan (Bohol), and San Salvador (Zambales)", which are now recognized by coastal resource managers worldwide for their success in using the CBCRM approach.

The Central Visayas Regional Project (CVRP) in the 1980s was the government’s first attempt to incorporate community organizing in its CRM efforts. This was followed in the early 1990s by two major programs, the DA’s Fisheries Sector Program and the DENR’s Coastal Environment Program.

The work continues, for the problem remains, and it appears to be as daunting as ever. This time, however, we do have the benefit of hindsight. We know from experience what approaches work and what do not. In taking our lessons to heart, we are hopeful that CRMP will contribute to the continued development of CRM in the Philippines and, ultimately, achieve our vision of sustainable use and management of coastal resources.