Philippine Alliance of Fisherfolk: Ecohealth Practitioners for Livelihood and Food Security

Abstract

Pamana Ka Sa Pilipinas (Pamana) is a grassroots fisherfolk alliance of Philippine Marine Protected Areas with more than 6,000 individual fisherfolk and their 30,000 family members. Access to food, education, and health services for Philippine fisherfolk families is directly dependant upon the fish harvest and related health of the marine environment. Pamana represents a unique "ecohealth" strategy, linking the health of coastal people and that of their surrounding marine ecosystem. Pamana's activities are viewed by both their membership and barangay (village) health workers as a contribution to nutritional and community health. The alliance has developed an approach to the empowerment of fisherfolk that has led to improvement in health, food security, and nutritional status of their communities. The development of Pamana provides a model for building capacity in other fishing- and resource-based cultures, through engagement and empowerment. In less developed countries, grassroots initiatives, such as Pamana, may be the only solution for sustainable fisheries contributions to food security, given the challenges of fisherfolk poverty, environmental degradation, and limited finances.

A Yin‐Yang approach to education policy regarding health and the environment: early‐careerists' image of the future and priority programmes

“…The concept of developing paraprofessional networks for inclusion of the ecocentric approach is currently under consideration by the co‐authors in their home countries. This approach to taking balanced SD philosophy into mainstream society was initiated in the Philippines for coastal fishermen (Anabieza et al ., ), and is discussed below. Prior to that and in an effort to fit the cognitive Yin‐Yang concept into an applied perspective within the country of origin, the next section details how this concept and application apply to China.…”

“…There is a lack of trained marine people at the local government level to manage mandates on coastal environment and related human health. Based in part upon support from the Canadian International Development Research Centre (IDRC) for biodiversity conservation and ecocentrism in the 1990s, one fisherfolk alliance (http://pamana.50webs.com) has been identified as Paraprofessional Ecohealth Practitioners (Anabieza et al, 2010).…”

“…In addition, we consider the application of this derived balance of environmental paradigms for the promotion of societal change at the paraprofessional level, and how these approaches might be translated into education policy. Paraprofessionals, or non-professionals who are trained for limited and specific skills, have demonstrated an ability to span health and the environment (Anabieza et al, 2010). Individual approaches to priorities and national considerations for balanced environment-related education policies are derived from assessments made in the authors' countries.…”

From measuring outcomes to providing inputs: Governance, management, and local development for more effective marine protected areas

“…Linkages to decision-making bodies at local, regional, and national levels influence a community's ability to adapt to change and to self organize for management or development purposes [122]. Having links with an outside organization that plays an "honest broker", such as an NGO or university, may also help in mediating differences between and within communities [129]. National level grassroots organizations, such as Pamana in the Phillipines [130], may be perceived as the most legitimate outside organization and as a result might be in the best position to support community outcomes in MPAs, through networking at various scales, advocating for communities nationally and internationally, and empowering communities through on-the-ground actions.…”

Sustainability within the Academic EcoHealth Literature: Existing Engagement and Future Prospects

“…One article questioned the "proper role of the government in ensuring environmental sustainability under China's changing systems of private enterprise" [91]. Another argued that although 180 nations signed the Millennium Development Goals declaration, an enhanced focus on the role of the environment appears necessary; the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment concluded that global marine systems including coastal habitats are overharvested and in decline [92] (see also [93] covering Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and environmental sustainability). One article argued that innovative ideas and paradigms, in the "real world" and in research, are needed to address the challenge of how human communities can avoid compromising human health while meeting growing demands on resources and ecosystem services, while at the same time promoting thriving, resilient communities and environmental sustainability [76].…”