Blue Pioneers Program

Hometown: Digos City, Davao del Sur, Philippines

Currently living in: Cebu City, Philippines

Current job: Senior Director, Program Implementation and Support for Rare  – Philippines

Biography: Lito Mancao is the Senior Director for Program Implementation and Support of Rare in the Philippines.  A graduate of Bachelor of Science in Fisheries from SPAMAST State University, and Professional Master in Tropical Marine Ecosystems Management from the University of the Philippines  – Diliman. He is a Registered Fisheries Technologist, and has been working on coastal and fisheries for 20 years. He has worked in establishing over 30 MPAs in the country, improving governance and management for coastal fisheries in over 100 Local Government Units. Other organizations he was affiliated before Rare includes Tetra Tech, EM Inc. for the USAID –DENR’s Coastal Resources Management Project and the FISH Project; Development Alternatives, Inc. on the implementation of the Philippine Environmental Governance (ECOGOV) Project; with WWF – Philippines for the USAID – Coral Triangle Support Partnership Project. Current work with Rare includes implementing reforms for nearshore/coastal fisheries by establishing managed access + sanctuaries, improving compliance through behavior adoption campaigns, strengthening enforcement and strategic coastal and fisheries management planning through Rare’s Global Fish Forever Program.

What interests you about the Blue Pioneers Program?: To learn from the program towards innovative strategy to solve overfishing and other ocean – related issues; To share, learn and establish a network with other participants from countries attending on solving problems concerning ocean conservation and sustainable use of the marine resources.