The Palawan Biodiversity Conservation Advocates Inc. (PBCAI)was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a non-profit organization on November 22, 2017 with SEC Registration No. CN201738431.
PBCAI envisions Palawan to have a healthy and rich natural resources sustainable providing ecosystems goods and services to the local populations thru the dynamic process of resource-proprietorship and sustainable development and initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Structurally, we are composed of environmental advocates with long stint working with NGOs with local, regional and international scope. PBCAI core competence includes biodiversity conservation (marine, forest\/terrestrial, and wildlife), social- enterprise, sustainable agriculture, aqua-culture projects, monitoring and evaluation, project proposal development \/writing, field-specific Baseline Assessment e.g WACS, biophysical surveys on flora and fauna and marine; and Indigenous Peoples (IP) works- (services-related, ADSDPP and IKSP) and biophysical surveys such as Coral Reef and Mangrove and Seagrass Assessments.
Voluntarism is a core value of PBCAI. The organization has been involved in various coastal clean-up activities in different areas in Puerto Princesa City. PBCAI has also responded to the needs of victims of fires in the city even during the Covid 19 pandemic. Members of the organization provided technical assistance to sea turtle monitoring teams and respond to sea turtle rescue in coordination with the DENR-CENRO and City ENRO and continuously provide training on Sea Turtle Conservation.
PBCAI have also engaged in Humanitarian Response works in Marawi thru Lutheran World Relief (LWR). In this engagement, LWR assigned PBCAI to work with their local partner named Maranao People Development Center (MARADECA). PBCAI assisted MARADECA in the preparation of a project proposal submitted to CSO-SEED British Council and EU joint undertaking entitled \u201cImproving the quality of life of marginal coastal and lowland dwellers thru social enterprise enabling process for sustainable development. The approval of this project proposal by the CSO-SEED British Council is one of the most significant contribution of PBCAI to MARADECA as it will impact positively on the long socio-economic wellbeing of the internally-displaced people in Marawi.
On admin and finance aspects, we have satisfactorily passed the USAID NUPAS systems (Non-US organization Pre-Award Survey) capturing four (4) key areas involving (1) financial management and internal controls (2) procurement systems (3) project performance and management (4) organizational sustainability. In addition, we employ AUDITPAL, an on-line accounting systems for on-time, expedient and transparent financial transactions with the funding agencies.
Past Activities:
I. Sea Turtle Conservation
PBCAI was the technical arm of the Candis 3 Marketing Cooperative in 2014 to 2018 for the implementation of “Biodiversity Conservation in Puerto Princesa’s Northwest Area and its Attached Interconnected Ecosystems funded by the USAID-PhilAm Fund. The flagship component of this initiative is the sea turtle conservation and has been considered by USAID-Phil-Am Fund as one of the best performing biodiversity conservation project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PBCAI has been invited by different organizations to conduct trainings in sea turtle conservation. These trainings provided the organization the opportunity to share its expertise and advance the work in marine turtle conservation in Palawan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This project was funded by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and was implemented in Barangays Panalingaan, Latud, Taburi, Ransang, Candawaga, and Culasian, in Rizal, Palawan Barangays Sumbiling and Taratak in Bataraza, Palawan from July 1 \u2013 October 31, 2020. The project intends to enable the IP communities to utilize civic space to express self-determined development direction and enhance its ability to document and communicate evidence of exploitations and environmental destructions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Specifically, the 3-month project sought to support IP communities\u2019 initiative towards overall protection of Ancestral Domain areas in Bataraza and Rizal and enable them to secure the commitment of support from concerned government agencies thru enhanced digital communication capacity, negotiation skills, and documentation of evidence of intrusions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6. Campaigns<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The holding of the plebiscite on RA 11259 (the law dividing Palawan into three provinces) on the first quarter of 2021 was approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) including health protocols that will be observed during the plebiscite. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
PBCAI launched a roving IEC campaign in the 6 municipalities in the southern part of Palawan. The campaign has made the \u201cNo to Division\u201d visible in areas with less access to social media. It has brought inspiration to many of the \u201cNO\u201d advocates and supporters in the communities reached by the 8-day campaign and hopes to institute precedents to One Palawan supporters to organize and multiply the same effort, specifically in the island municipalities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
VI. Staff Development<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ongoing initiatives:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a project funded by the Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines implemented from January to December 2020 with the following objectives:<\/p>\n\n\n\n a. Enhance the biophysical condition of Marine Protected Areas for better ecosystems services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n b. Improve waste segregation at source in the selected semi-urban areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n c. Improve the quality of life of the people thru the establishment of a community-based recycling project that will provide additional income to participating families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n d. Empower women and provide benefits to children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of the activities conducted:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coastal Clean-ups<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Phase 2: \u201cStudy of Mercury on Wild Flora, Fauna and Humans in the Impact Areas of the former Palawan QuickSilver Mines, Inc. (PQMI) in Puerto Princesa City\u201d Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSDS)<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Phase 3: \u201cStudy of Mercury on Wild Flora, Fauna and Humans in the Impact Areas of the former Palawan QuickSilver Mines, Inc. (PQMI) in Puerto Princesa City\u201d Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSDS)<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Preparing the Communities of Victoria Anepahan Mountain Range for REDD+ Engagement \u2013 partner of Center for Conservation Innovations Ph Inc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n