The DA-BFAR Fisheries Management Area 1 Management Board chaired by Regional Director Angel B. Encarnacion are gearing up to implement management initiatives of fisheries resources in the Philippine Rise.

This, following the Inception Workshop of the Philippine Rise Ocean Conservation Area Project, a joint undertaking led by the Zoological Society of London and Blue Nature Alliance which aims to create a large Management Protected Area with an area of about 150, 000 square kilometers on September 18-19, 2024 at Linden Suites, Pasig City.

Among the highlights of the workshop include actor mapping and linkage (collaborating agencies); plotting of impact vs. involvement matrix; presentation and review of the budget; identification of opportunities and challenges, risks and bottlenecks in the implementation of activities and development of a communication plan.

Said activities are precursor on the development of the draft management plan of the proposed Philippine Rise Ocean Conservation Area Project.

Earlier, the FMA1 forged a partnership opportunity with international conservation groups to safeguard the Philippine Rise as a promising important resource beyond the country’s exclusive economic zone.

The Philippine Rise, formerly known as the Benham Rise, is a vast underwater plateau located east of the Philippines.