Enhancing Capacities for Mangrove Management and Protection Mechanisms in the municipalities of Lawaan and Quinapondan,
Eastern Samar

In a strategic effort to bolster local capacities for sustainable mangrove management, Forest Foundation Philippines partnered with PRRM, LGUs, and POs of Quinapondan and Lawaan, Eastern Samar to implement a two-year mangrove protection and restoration project in the coastal barangays in the Leyte Gulf.

The project contributed towards the protection of 623 hectares and restored 10 hectares of mangrove ecosystems through community-based forest management. Implemented in the municipalities of Lawaan and Quinapondan in Eastern Samar, the initiative combined forest restoration with community empowerment. The project achieved the following:
* Increased capacities of the local communities, LGUs, and relevant stakeholder on the sustainable management of mangrove forests;
* Formulated and operationalized municipal mangrove protection ordinances;
* Four (4) Co-management agreements were signed between the POs and respective LGUs
* Organized, trained, and deputized twelve (12) Bantay-Kalikasan, or Forest Sentinels to support community-based forest protection, monitoring, and enforcement;
* Installed signages to deter illegal activities in the site; and
* Facilitated sharing of experiences and lessons learned with the other members of the Alliance of Seven Municipalities (A7) - an network of coastal municipalities along the Leyte Gulf.

These efforts were led in the barangay level by four Peoples Organizations (POs), including the Sto. Niño Fishers and Aqua Workers Association (SNFAWA)  in Barangay Sto. Niño, Quinapondan, San Antonio de Padua Fishers and Farmers Association (SADPFFA) in Barangay. Sta. Margarita, Quinapondan, Maslog Coco Farmers and Fishers Organization (MCCO) in Barangay Maslog, Lawaan, and Taguite Farmers and Fishers Association (TFFA) in Barangay Taguite, Lawaan. Each PO established their own monitoring and maintenance systems to ensure the survival of planted mangroves.

In addition, the Jollibee Group Foundation provided funding support to restore additional 10 hectares of degraded mangroves; as well as the construction of two patrol boats to support mangrove protection and livelihood activities in Lawaan and Quinapondan;

This initiative is part of a broader forest conservation project along the Leyte Gulf, supported by the Foundation through a grant to the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM), which covers the municipalities of Lawaan, Balangiga, Giporlos, and Quinapondan, and focuses on restoring degraded mangrove areas and strengthening community resilience to climate change.