CCEF, together with Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), conducted Coastal Law Enforcement on October 25 to 27, 2022. The training was held at the convention hall of Coco Grove in San Juan, Siquijor, on July 2022 and attended by Municipal Agriculture Officers from the province, as well as a fisheries technician, Philippine Coast Guards-Siquijor, and Siquijor Provincial Police Officers. The training is composed of three objectives; (1) a law enforcement risk assessment for six municipalities in Siquijor Province, identify threats, protection targets, and vulnerabilities in the MPAs. (2) a law enforcement capacity assessment, identify the needs of training and mentoring staff, and (3) a law enforcement strategy and action planning workshop to be held in 2023.
On July 2022, a consultation with municipal and provincial law enforcement staff identified potential gaps in current efforts to combat Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing – the lack of practical mechanisms to enable MPA managers to plan optimal municipality-level law enforcement strategies and actions in response to escalating threats to fisheries and coral reefs. To close this gap, CCEF, in collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and local stakeholders, will hold workshops to collect detailed information to assist municipalities in developing their law enforcement strategies and actions. Using the “Law Enforcement Capacity Assessment Worksheet,” the team was able to examine the means and assets available to each municipality to manage law enforcement concerns, as well as assess the current condition of each site through major Law Enforcement components.
The workshop also assisted in identifying training needs and techniques to address Law Enforcement Capacity lapses and gaps that differ by site, which would aid in conceptualizing and configuring future projects or workshops for the Province’s Coastal Law Enforcement goals and efforts. The Law Enforcement Capacity and Risk Assessment Workshop was made possible due to the participants’ active participation and engagement in all tasks, also their keen interest in discussions.