11th Para el MAR honors top marine conservation champions

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

The 11th Para el MAR (MPA Awards and Recognition) honored the country’s most outstanding Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), stakeholder organizations, and conservation practices during ceremonies held on Sept. 17 and 18, 2025, at the Zuri Hotel in Mandurriao, Iloilo City.

With the theme “Bantay Karagatan, Bantay Kinabukasan: Local Action for Biodiversity and the Future,” the event recognized exemplary achievements and highlighted the collective efforts of local communities in protecting biodiversity, sustaining fisheries, and strengthening climate resilience.

The 2025 Para el MAR gave recognition in four categories: Best Mangrove Award, Outstanding Network, Outstanding National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) MPA, and Outstanding Locally-Managed MPA.

The Balisungan Marine Protected Area–Women-managed Area in Coron, Palawan was named Champion of the Best Mangrove Award for exemplary mangrove management for conservation and community resilience.

Runners-up in this category were the Avila Mangrove Reserve and Migratory Bird Sanctuary in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental (first runner-up), Siruma Mangrove Local Conservation Area in Siruma, Camarines Sur (second runner-up), and the Bauang Bakawan Eco-Tourism Park in Bauang, La Union (third runner-up).

First place for the Outstanding Network Award, which recognizes exceptional coordination and impact created by collaborative MPA networks, went to the Southern Negros Coastal Development Management Council of Negros Occidental.

The Calamianes MPA Network of the Calamianes Group of Islands and the Shark Fin Bay MPA Network of Taytay, both in Palawan, placed second and third, respectively.

The Sarangani Bay Protected Seascape was named Champion of the Outstanding NIPAS MPA Award for exceptional governance, management, and community involvement under the NIPAS system.

The Masinloc-Oyon Bay Protected Landscape and Seascape in Zambales and the Cuatro Islas Protected Landscape and Seascape in Leyte were first and second runners-up, respectively.

The Ranzo Fish Sanctuary in Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro won first place for the Outstanding Locally-Managed MPA Award, with the Pulong Bato Fishery Refuge and Sanctuary in Batangas City in second place and the Concepcion-Sagrada-Bogtong MPA in Busuanga, Palawan in third place.

Special citations sponsored by partner organizations were also awarded, including the Best in Enforcement Award for Locally-Managed MPA (sponsored by Oceana) to the Punta Ilag Fish Sanctuary in San Teodoro, Oriental Mindoro; the Best in Enforcement Award for NIPAS MPA (sponsored by Oceana) to the Sarangani Bay Protected Seascape; the Savior of the Sea Award (sponsored by the PNP Maritime Group) to the Ranzo Fish Sanctuary in Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro; and the Largest MPA Award (sponsored by Pacific Environment) to the Concepcion-Sagrada-Bogtong MPA in Busuanga, Palawan.

“Para el MAR is more than recognition — it is a celebration, a platform to showcase the country’s best-managed MPAs, where champions from across the archipelago come together to share their stories, exchange lessons, and inspire one another,” said Dr. Hazel Arceo of the MPA Support Network, which organizes the Para el MAR.

Para el MAR was first held in 2007 to recognize excellence in MPA management using a range of evaluation tools and criteria for its categories.