The rapid deterioration of earth’s biodiversity brings to sharp focus the importance of protected areas, or those “spaces dedicated and managed” for “the long-term conservation of nature and associated ecosystem services and cultural values” (IUCN Definition 2008). More than 200 protected areas dot the Philippine landscape. This book contains in-depth teaching cases that focus on the management and conservation of prominent protected areas such as Tubbataha Marine Park in ­Palawan, Olango Wildlife Santuary in Cebu, and Pujada Bay Seascape and ­Landscape in Davao Oriental. The cases capture ground realities that illustrate the dilemmas of conservation along with the plight of protected area managers across different management modalities namely, local, national, and corporate settings. Opportunities and challenges, such as funding scarcity, are presented, and the role of ecotourism is discussed. A financing model for protected areas is proposed. Life-long learners and professionals directly involved in biodiversity conservation will spot many ecological and operational sustainability lessons in the cases. Teachers and trainers steeped in the case method as teaching approach will find the cases a rich trove of materials for developing critical thinking that will enable the students to build superior strategies in the face of inferior and ­inadequate resources at their disposal. The strategies and practices in the cases, both orthodox and unorthodox, can serve as a guide to effective management not only in environmental conservation, but in other fields as well.

1. Biodiversity conservation ? Philippines 2. Ecosystem management - Philippines