SUMMARY.  The island-province of Guimaras is an island in paradox. It was in a dismal economic state when it became a full-fledged province in 1992. Most of its inhabitants are poor. There were not much investments to create jobs for the people and income for local governments, making the latter unable to deliver basic services. It was even included in the so-called “Club 20,” that infamous list of 20 poorest provinces in the Philippines during the onset of decentralization, as identified under the Social Reform Agenda of then President Fidel Ramos.
But despite the poverty gripping its populace, this 60,457-hectare island, roughly the size of Singapore, is rich in natural resources. It is the healthy environment of Guimaras that sustains most of its population. Predominantly an agricultural province, it grows rice, coconut and mango, its signature crop. Fifty percent of the land area is devoted to agriculture. The island beams with fertile soil growing high-value crops like mangoes, coconut and cashew; while a good portion of its land is covered with lime (‘tawas’). The rural environment of the island and its sandy beaches and coves possess high potentials for tourism development.  Most of the coastal inhabitants are either fulltime or part-time (sustenance) fishers.
The sustainable management of Guimaras Island is anchored on the critical need to effectively balance growth and environmental sustainability.  While economic development is being pursued, corresponding efforts are also being done to ensure that this will not compromise the fragile small island ecosystem. Owing to the fact that a substantial percentage of the population lives within the coastal zone, the combined pressure of urbanization, economic growth and pollution causes significant stress on the coastal resources as manifested in depleted mangrove forests, declining seagrass beds and coral reefs and the resulting decline in fish catch.
A comprehensive planning for the island was initiated in 2005 which resulted to the formulation of the Provincial Physical Framework Plan anchored on agri-fishery-tourism development strategy.  This long term plan guides the development direction of the province and aims to maximize its potentials while at the same time maintain ecological balance. The plan was supported with corresponding policies such as the Environment Code which established development controls and an Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) approach was adopted to ensure that all initiatives will consider the interplay between the watersheds, the lowlands and the coastal environment. A scientific advisory board was created for the conduct of scientific studies which are expected to determine the state of the Guimaras environment and facilitate a science-based decision-making mechanism.
Introduction
The ocean covers more than two thirds of our planet, and small island developing States are generally somewhere in the middle of it. Their environmental priorities concern the islands themselves and their immediate coastal areas, where the balance of population and resources is critical for the future. From the perspective of the island countries, the ocean is still an unlimited resource relative to the present scale of their human impacts. The effects on the ocean of the great centers of population and industry in continental countries are much more significant.
Small islands also have unique physical, demographic and economic features, including relatively limited surface areas and natural resource bases (arable land, freshwater, mineral resources, conventional energy sources); greater sensitivity to natural disasters (typhoons, hurricanes, cyclones, earthquakes, volcanoes); and isolation from mainlands, all of which contribute to the vulnerability of their water resources. All these lead to the impact of the surrounding sea being more pronounced for small islands than for large islands and mainlands.
Environmental pressures take a particular toll on Small Island Developing States (SIDS), whose size and isolation make them vulnerable to extinctions, habitat loss, and sea-level rise.
According to the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), SIDS also share: small population, lack of resources, remoteness, susceptibility to natural disasters, excessive dependence on international trade and vulnerability to global developments… [plus] lack of economies of scale, high transportation and communication costs, and costly public administration and infrastructure.
They also share some of the most fragile and vulnerable resources on the planet – their sheer beauty, unmatched opportunities for recreation and tourism, unique and exceptional biodiversity and remarkable human cultures.
The Guimaras small island ecosystem/environment
Guimaras is an island-province in Central Philippines under the administrative region called Western Visayas.  The province is a predominantly agricultural economy with fifty percent of its land area of approximately 605 square kilometers devoted to agriculture.  Like other small islands, its 151,238 population is concentrated mostly in gently sloping areas at the coastal zones.
Economic activities are anchored on farming with mango, rice and coconut as the major crops and cashew, citrus, vegetables, corn and sweet potato as the other key crops.  Fishing is also a major economic activity considering that Guimaras has wide fishing grounds and long coastline. Tourism is the emerging economic driver that adds value to farming and fishing.  Owing to the large manpower resources, local and foreign employment is another major economic activity.
The Guimaras natural assets
The island ecosystem of Guimaras has been blessed with natural assets that are suitable for tourism development. Potential areas for development into world class tourism destinations are diverse; the coastal environment features scenic coves, islets, bays and beach areas that present opportunities for a variety of leisure activities. In addition, historical, cultural and religious attractions further added to its potential as an idyllic rural environment that offers respite from the hustle and bustle of urban living. The ridges fringing the eastern and western sides of the island are suitable for high-end residential development offering panoramic views of the landscape and the seascape.
The upland areas are suitable for orchards development for the production of high value crops such as cashew, organic vegetables, mango and other tropical fruits. The province’s most famous agricultural product, the Guimaras mango has gained global prominence and holds the distinction of being certified pest-free by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The presence of coastal areas with potentials for seaport development presents opportunities for the establishment of transshipment hub and jump off points for island-hopping tours.
Challenges and Development Constraints
The provincial government is faced with the necessity of stimulating the economy in order to create employment and livelihood for its constituents. The development potentials of the province in terms of tourism present an attractive option to maximize revenues out of tourism-related activities that can create forward and backward linkages to agricultural production, transport, accommodation facilities, food manufacturing and handicrafts for souvenirs.
However, owing to the fragile island ecosystem of Guimaras, there is a critical need to ensure that economic development will not compromise the integrity of the Guimaras environment.
Increasing pressure on the coastal and marine ecosystems
The three coastal and marine ecosystems; mangrove, seagrass beds and coral reefs are subjected to increasing pressure due to increased population density, sedimentation, fishing impact especially of illegal methods, pollution, mangrove conversion to fishponds, wave impact, boat anchor, small boat navigation, gleaning and some tourism activities.
Tenurial problems-lack of public lands
The total area classified as timberland is very limited (only 6% of the total land area).  Consequently, there is lack of public lands for establishment of forest reserves and parks.
Vulnerability to coastal and marine pollution
The marine waters of Guimaras are navigational zones and being used by vessels plying the North-South routes from Luzon to Mindanao. Currently, there are no restrictions yet on the types of cargoes that can pass by the area and hence, hazardous materials (hazmat) such as pesticides, ammonium nitrates and petroleum products are being transported via the Iloilo and Guimaras Straits which are within one nautical mile of Guimaras Island. This vulnerability was highlighted by the Solar 1 Oil Spill  that devastated the coastal areas of Guimaras in 2006.
Concentration of households at the coastal zone
Owing to their dependence on fishing as the primary source of income, residents settled in coastal areas and communities started as fishing villages and hamlets which later developed to become sitios and barangays.  This scenario resulted to increased pressure on coastal and marine resources and habitats.

Adverse impacts of the 2006 Solar I Oil Spill
The Solar 1 Oil Spill that devastated Guimaras in August 11, 2006 adversely affected the coastal environment and the livelihood of residents.  Owing to the sensitivities of the areas affected, the magnitude of impacts on the ecosystems and population was manifested in the loss of livelihood, health problems and the degradation of mangroves, coral reefs and seagrass, and decline in sightings of marine wildlife (e.g. Irrawaddy dolphin & dugong). Considering the fragile island-ecosystem of Guimaras, the interrelatedness of ecosystems is a major factor in the aggravation of impacts that affected the marine environment, coastal zone and upland areas.
The disaster resulted to the following issues and concerns:
• Potential long term adverse impacts on the coastal environment and marine habitats
• Potential long term health impacts on residents exposed to the bunker oil
Threats from mining activities
One major challenge that confronts the island is the interest of mining companies to undertake large scale mining activities.  Current applications for mineral exploration covers almost 65% of the entire island’s land area comprising of watersheds and sensitive coastal zones.  If the applications are granted and if mining activities eventually happen, the environmental scenario of the island will be altered and adverse impacts are expected.
Challenges in adopting a sustainable development strategy
Considering the various alternatives that can be pursued to realize the development of the island, the challenge of identifying the sustainable development direction that should be adopted was encountered. Owing to the development constraints and limited carrying capacity of the fragile island ecosystem, the strategy should effectively integrate environmental sustainability in all initiatives and not just a purely economic point of view.  Thus, there is a need to adopt a development strategy that is acceptable to all stakeholders and ensures the balance between productivity for economic development and environmental sustainability.
Island Strategy for Environmental Sustainability
It was soon deemed necessary to effectively set the development direction of the island. An initiative was launched in 2004 for a multi-stakeholder and participatory planning process to formulate a land use plan that captures the optimum alternative to maximize its economic potentials without jeopardizing the fragile island ecosystem.
The planning process was done through a project of the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) with funds from the Federal Republic of Germany. The Decentralized Planning Structures Project enabled the provincial government to undertake a planning approach that facilitated the vertical and horizontal integration of plans and programs. It was a highly participatory and multi-stakeholder process that took 3 years to complete. The significant innovation was that the provincial framework plan was formulated simultaneous with the Comprehensive Land Use Plans of the 5 municipalities.  This facilitated the resolution of land use conflicts, harmonization of plans and promotion of complementation among the five municipal governments.
Charting the development direction, the Tourism Master Plan was crafted and was later on integrated into the Provincial Physical Framework Plan which serves as the long-term guide for the next 30 years.
The selection of Agri-tourism as the preferred strategy was the result of numerous public consultations and workshops. As the main economic driver, it is aimed at maximizing the potentials of the province in agriculture and fisheries and creating tourism attractions out of these activities, achieving economic development while at the same time ensuring ecological balance. The land use planning process was done with the participation of all stakeholders. It was a dynamic process that went down to the level of the barangays .
Recognizing the need to ensure that efforts are complementary, dialogues were undertaken to settle land use conflicts and to harmonize the provincial land use plan and the five municipal land use plans.
It was soon realized that “complementing rather than competing” should be agreed upon by the five municipal governments to maximize what each component municipality has and clearly designate the roles that they need to perform to contribute to the overall development of the province. Instead of competing, municipalities will complement each other and address inter-territorial disputes by harmonizing land uses between adjoining municipalities. The principle of co-management was also agreed upon owing to the fact that watersheds and coastal zones in Guimaras straddle more than one territorial jurisdiction. The process of public consultations was both challenging and encouraging as manifested by intense discussions precipitated by the interplay of community interests, business and political considerations.
An agreement on the functional roles of each municipality was reached. Jordan is the primary gateway and main growth center, Buenavista is the center for higher education and secondary growth center, Nueva Valencia is the Tourism Capital and Agri-fisheries producer, while the two new municipalities; Sibunag and San Lorenzo are the food baskets of the province and will strive to enhance their agri-fishery productivity.
Plan implementation approach
The Community-Based Rural Tourism (CBRT) approach was adopted in promoting community development. CBRT is socially sustainable tourism which is initiated and almost always operated exclusively by local and indigenous people. Shared leadership emphasizing community well-being over individual profit, balances power within communities, and fosters traditional culture, conservation, and responsible stewardship of the land. 
The model developed in Dolores, Nueva Valencia for the Guisi Heritage Tourism Enterprise showed that this approach can facilitate social transformation of communities and develop enterprises that can provide additional income and preserve the local culture. The Guisi Heritage Tourism is a multi-awarded project and was featured in several travel magazines and TV programs. This model was later used to replicate the approach in other areas of Guimaras and currently, there are 8 replication sites plus a lot more waiting to be inducted into the CBRT Circuit.
The CBRT approach was proven to be effective in providing additional income for communities, facilitate community empowerment, and increase awareness on the need to protect the environment which is the natural asset by which tourism thrives, preserve the island culture and promotes gender and development considerations.
The CBRT proved to be a catalyst in promoting good governance and has significantly improved the capacities of local officials in pursuing local economic development at the level of the community.
Integrated Coastal Management (ICM)
On August 18, 2008, the Province of Guimaras signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Partnership for the Environmental Management of the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA), for the implementation of the ICM and paved the way for the membership of Guimaras in the PEMSEA Network of Local Governments for Sustainable Coastal Development (PNLG).
In implementing the ICM, a strategy for coastal and marine environments management will be formulated which is expected to enhance the existing land use plans and zoning ordinances by providing more details to the zones covering the coastal environment and municipal waters.  In effect, the Guimaras plan will feature both land and water use designations.
The ICM approach also involves the enhancement of information management through the establishment of the Integrated Information Management System (IIMS) which is a relational environmental database that can store sets of data that are necessary in environmental management.  The system is one of the tools developed by PEMSEA for coastal and marine management to facilitate decision-making.  IIMS has been to developed to capture important data in coastal and marine, and river basin management, and provide information on appropriate format for the managers, decision-makers and planners and stakeholders, in general.  This is expected to complement the existing Geographic Information System (GIS) of the provincial government.
The Guimaras ICM implementation is being done through a Project Management Office (PMO) which is tasked with the day to day operations of the ICM and to spearhead initiatives such as the formulation of the coastal and marine management plan.
Scientific studies for informed decision-making
A scientific advisory board was also created to provide support to the provincial government in carrying out the island strategy for Guimaras.  The board is composed of scientists from the Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology (IESM) of the University of the Philippines, Diliman.
With the aim of establishing an accurate baseline of the prevailing environmental conditions in the island, scientific studies on the following areas are currently being undertaken:
• Enzyme biomarkers as indicators of environmental contamination
• Assessing beaches in Guimaras Island recovering from a major oil spill
• Socio-economic effects of Solar 1 Oil Spill in Guimaras
• Status and Monitoring of marine wildlife and fisheries resources in Guimaras Island
• Hydrological Impacts of Land Use and Land Cover Change on Coastal Ecosystem of Guimaras
• Evaluating the Impacts of the 2006 Oil Spill on Sea grasses and Mangroves in Guimaras
• Assessment of soil erosion and hydrocarbons in Guimaras
Once completed these studies will significantly enhance the existing database and provide the scientific basis in identifying and implementing interventions to address issues and concerns as well as maximize opportunities and potentials to achieve sustainable island development.  It is expected that this will significantly enhance the existing land use and sectoral plans and provide the mechanism by which science-based governance can be fully realized.
Future plans
Recognizing the need for environmental monitoring, the establishment of environmental monitoring facilities is being planned. To facilitate periodic monitoring of environmental quality, the provincial government needs to acquire capabilities in terms of facilities and personnel to update data on parameters covering the bio-chemical and microbiological aspects for the terrestrial and coastal-marine environments.  Consequently, there are plans to establish a marine research station and water quality monitoring laboratory.  There are also efforts leading towards the establishment of a facility to monitor weather data.
Guimaras aims to initiate advocacy for sound environmental management at the regional level in Western Visayas.  The wealth of information being generated provides a good basis for Guimaras to influence decision-making at the regional level.  Considering that there are issues affecting the province that are actually caused by factors beyond the territorial jurisdiction of Guimaras, there is a need to push for initiatives to address inter-territorial issues.  Presently, the province is a member of the Metro Iloilo-Guimaras Economic Development Council (MIGEDC) which includes environmental management as one of the areas of cooperation.  This can be a venue wherein issues can be discussed and addressed through collaborative efforts.
Forging alliances with neighboring local governments in the region will also be explored.  Owing to the need for effective management of the Guimaras and Iloilo Straits, partnerships with concerned agencies and entities will be pursued to facilitate co-management of the areas.  The partnership should focus on sustainable development approaches to facilitate economic development anchored on tourism, agriculture and fisheries with adequate considerations for preserving coastal and marine habitats and mitigating environmental degradation.

Honorable Felipe Hilan A. Nava is presently the governor of the Province of Guimaras, Philippines. Prior to his present post, he was mayor of the municipality of Jordan, Guimaras where he served for three consecutive terms. During his term as mayor, he was able to produce significant accomplishments particularly on the protection of the coastal and marine environments. He also worked for social development under the Country Program for Children (CPC) of the UNICEF as well as good governance innovations which resulted to several awards and recognitions for the municipality of Jordan. In his present capacity as governor, he is working for the operationalization of the Agri-fishery tourism development strategy and the institutionalization of the Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) approach for the island-province of Guimaras. He is also advocating for community-based rural tourism initiatives in addressing the need for poverty alleviation and environmental protection. Governor Nava is a doctor of medicine by profession and has trained at the Philippine Orthopedic Center for Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology.

Evan Anthony V. Arias is presently the Supervising Planner at the Provincial Planning and Development Office of the Province of Guimaras, Philippines. He also serves as the project coordinator for Guimaras of the Urban Partnerships Program-Philippines, a partnership program implemented with the Canadian Urban Institute funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). He has a post baccalaureate degree in Environmental Resource Management from the University of the Philippines in the Visayas and an MBA degree from the International Academy of Management and Economics, Makati City, Philippines. He has completed 6 modules of courses on Disaster Risk Management from the World Bank Institute (WBI) and is a certified online trainer of the WBI. In 2006, he led the multi-disciplinary team that conducted the Rapid Damage Assessment of the Guimaras Oil Spill. He also led the planning team that crafted the Provincial Physical Framework Plan of the Province of Guimaras.