by MG Iturralde

Davao City (24 November) -- The Save Davao Gulf Foundation, Inc. (SDGFI), a non-government organization in Davao City that is mandated "to address head-on the problems of environmental degradation of the water quality of Davao Gulf and depletion of its marine resources", is orienting ten coastal barangays of Davao City in Paterno's Restaurant, Davao City, today on the EcoGov-funded Project "Mobilizing responsive community and institutional actions towards the protection and conservation of the endangered pawikan in Davao City".

The ten coastal barangays consisting of Matina Aplaya, Binugao, Bago Aplaya, Lizada, Dumoy, Talomo, Bucana, Lapu-lapu, Sasa and Lasang shall be presented with a situationer of the marine turtles sighted, nesting, stranded, caught and/or documented in Davao City, initiatives of the Task Force Pawikan Davao, and the design of the EcoGov Project.

Participants numbering at least sixty, shall also come up with an action plan towards the realization of target outputs of the Project such as (a) Passage of a city ordinance declaring the marine turtle conservation site in Punta Dumalag, Matina Aplaya and other appropriate sites as marine protected area (MPA); (b) Passage of barangay resolutions and/or ordinance in the ten project sites where pawikan sighting, nesting and stranding have been noted and documented leading to improved practices in pawikan conservation; (c) allocation of a regular budget to support implementation of the Task Force Pawikan Marine Turtle Conservation Plan.

Succeeding activities after the project orientation are site visits, training-workshop on marine turtle conservation; information, education and communications (IEC) campaign, and policy advocacy and legislation.

SDGFI, the proponent and implementor of the EcoGov Project, will pursue active information, education and communications (IEC) work in the form of leaflets, brochures, tarpaulins, community assemblies, fora through the Davao Gulf Forum, and press releases to achieve target environmental governance outcomes of the project towards improved pawikan conservation in Davao City.