Wetlands International Philippines

Work Areas

Main CEPA work area

• Wetlands International Philippines carries out a range of CEPA (Communication, Capacity Building, Education, Participation, and Awareness) activities to promote wetland conservation and the wise use of wetlands in the Philippines. It actively engages communities, government agencies, researchers, and other stakeholders through awareness-raising, training, and participatory conservation initiatives.
  Examples of CEPA-related activities include:
• Public awareness and social media campaigns about the importance of wetlands, mangroves, seagrasses, rivers, and coastal ecosystems for biodiversity, climate resilience, fisheries, and flood protection.
• Capacity-building and training workshops for local governments, community organizations, environmental managers, and partners to strengthen wetland management and restoration practices.
• Knowledge materials development on wetland ecosystems through publications, case studies, and learning materials
• Brand awareness marketing through the production of organizational briefs, banners, and marketing materials, and participation in events and activities for greater visibility
• Stakeholder participation and community engagement, encouraging local communities to take part in wetland conservation, restoration, and decision-making processes.
• Knowledge sharing and dissemination, including production of reports, technical resources, policy inputs, and lessons learned from wetland conservation projects.
• Partnership-building and advocacy, working with government, NGOs, academia, local people’s organizations, communities, youth, and the private sector to support wetland conservation and raise awareness of wetland values.

Top three successes

1. Fishpond successfully reverted to mangrove forest through the implementation in Nula-tula, Tacloban City, Philippines. The project was a success due to multi-stakeholder engagement, including community participation and ownership of the mangrove forest.
2. Ridge-to-Coast Rain-to-Tap (R2CR2T) Work Package (WP) 2 project successfully implemented in Cagayan de Oro River Basin to mitigate flooding through Integrated River Basin Management. The WP2 piloted “rainforestation” and riparia buffer forest restoration to rehabilitate part of a watershed to reduce overflow and erosion of topsoil from the watershed.
3. Successfully convened the Global Mangrove Alliance Philippines chapter, lobbying policies such as the National Coastal Greenbelt Bill, National Blue Carbon Roadmap, and promoting the best interest of mangroves as the Philippines implements the National Salt Industry Roadmap and infrastructure development project. The Alliance also co-organized the Philippine Mangrove Conference 2026 (PMC 2026), a milestone event that emphasized the need for accountability, building on past successes, and creating new pathways for mangroves.

Top three challenges

1. Resource mobilization remains a challenge for Wetlands International Philippines as the organization struggles to secure funding for projects and activities. The organization is highly dependent on project-based and donor funding. With limited resources, the organization faces the high costs of ecosystem restoration, the difficulty of demonstrating immediate economic returns, and the need for long-term financing mechanisms. Experience taught us that building strong partnerships and networks has helped in pooling resources and manpower for projects and activities. CEPA and marketing are important in showcasing the organization’s work, the ecosystem services, and the economic benefits of healthy wetlands.
2. When it comes to CEPA, there is a great opportunity to educate the policymakers, the private sector, communities, and the public on wetlands, but the competing interests of various stakeholders overshadow the awareness and advocacy efforts of the organization. Information campaigns, training activities, case studies, knowledge products, and awareness programs help policymakers, the private sector, and communities understand the benefits of wetlands. On social media, strong messaging and compelling visuals help grab the audience’s attention. Moreover, partnerships and collaborations build on the organization’s branding, visibility, and leadership.
3. Promoting science-based mangrove restoration remains a challenge not just for Wetlands International Philippines, but also for the rest of the members of the Global Mangrove Alliance Philippines. Mass planting and monoculture of mangroves continue to pervade various CSR, volunteer, and government-led initiatives. This requires a national policy for science-based rehabilitation of coastal greenbelt zoness, strict implementation of monitoring mechanismis, and large-scale CEPA for greater public awareness. Moreover, the implementation of the Associated Mangrove Aquaculture (AMA) faced setbacks in contracting contractors for the dike development and lacked the funds needed to pilot the Indonesia-inspired approach through the natural regeneration of native species. Assisted natural regeneration is needed to spur rehabilitation of native mangroves in the site. It would be cost efficient and more beneficial to the locals to hire skilled community workers rather than contracting a developer for the site development. Moreover, greater effort for targeted CEPA to the private sector and local government units must be undertaken in order to raise awareness about science-based mangrove rehabilitation.