Contains articles that make the case for an archipelagic perspective and maritime consciousness in looking at a wide range of issues like environmental management, economic development, marine transportation and safety, tourism, security and governance.

Provides baseline information on the coastal marine habitats of Guimaras province in the Western Visayas region, especially on the state of the coastal waters off Guimaras, the state of the coral reefs, mangrove swamps and seagrass beds.

Also includes recommendations for the sustainable development of coastal resources.

Provides a comprehensive overview of the faunal diversity in the marine coastal zones, the sources of degeneration of our marine resources, the prevailing threats, and the endangered species. It also identifies existing conservation measures and some of the research gaps our scientists have yet to fill.

Documents the organization of a traditional fishing cooperative in Batanes. Focuses on the regulation of access to fishing grounds, the manner of distributing the catch, and the effects of modernization on the traditional organization and world view of fisherfolk. Proposes the formal designation of its members as resource managers and their incorporation into the provincial resource management framework.

Includes three of the papers presented during a roundtable discussion on the Kalayaan Islands. These are: Benito Lim’s Overview on the Spratlys Controversy; Armado Malay Jr.’s Vietnamese Position on the Spratlys Issue; and Edgardo Dagdag’s Spratlys and the Philippine National Interest.

This research report contains baseline assessments of the state of the environment and resources development in the Philippines by a multidisciplinary team. It includes Percy E. Sajise, Nenita E. Tapay, Enrique E. Pacardo, Nicomedes D. Briones, and Macrina T. Zafaralla from UP Los Baños; Rosario D. Jimenez, Edgardo E. Gomez, Prescillano M. Zamora, Miguel D. Fortes, and Imelda Zosa Feranil from UP Diliman. Six primary and interconnected and interrelated ecosystems were examined: forest, marginal land, cropland, urban, freshwater, and marine and coastal. The impact of population pressure on the utilization, development and carrying capacity of various environmental systems were also discussed. Management strategies as well as policy and research recommendations for sustainable development are presented. This research report is a full-length version of Saving the Present for the Future: The State of the Environment (State of the Nation Reports No.1) which was published in 1992 and reprinted in 1994.