The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has ordered the immediate assessment of abandoned, undeveloped and underutilized (AUU) areas for fishpond purposes, beginning in the regions of Bicol, Western Visayas and Zamboanga Peninsula.
DENR Memorandum Order 2024-01 signed by Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga calls for data-sharing between DENR offices and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) on restoring mangroves which are vital in the defense against flooding and extreme weather events and in improving climate actions.
The order covers fishpond areas released by the DENR to the BFAR in the 1970s.
The order is in accordance with Presidential Directive No. 2023-296 on the Review of Areas with Fishpond Lease Agreements (FLA) that are AUU.
The order also seeks recommendations to transfer the administrative control over AUU fishpond areas under FLA and biophysical reversion from BFAR to the DENR.
This involves the process of putting back damaged components of the mangrove forest from fishpond to mangrove state through methods such as replanting, enrichment planting and assisted regeneration.
The order said the recommendations will come from the National Technical Working Group (NTWG) to be submitted to the DENR Secretary.
DENR regional offices of the three selected regions will implement the order through the DENR regional field assessment teams which will gather relevant data such as topographic maps, fishpond maps and mangrove maps on issued FLAs that are active, cancelled, expired, terminated and AUU, among many others.
The team will also conduct validation to assess the identified areas’ status and existing land use, including determining the area profile and biophysical status.
The regional technical working group will then recommend areas for administrative and biophysical reversion based on a pre-identified set of criteria and endorse them to the National TWG who will then review and submit to the DENR Secretary for final approval.
