Lessons Learned in Wetlands Management

Similar to the challenges being faced by local governments all over the Philippines, the City of Balanga faces habitat degradation, solid wastes and sewage concerns, significant settlements along the boundary of the wetlands, low or few stakeholder engagement, and insufficient information on wetland biodiversity. While facing and managing these challenges, the City sees the need for more focused and intensive capacity building including on how to formulate and update its integrated management plans. Among the City's most important learnings is the importance of harmonizing conservation with the development and socio-economic concerns of constituents. The City’s leaders and stakeholders also see the important role of collaboration between stakeholders (NGAs, LGU, community, among others) from planning to policy formulation to implementation and monitoring.