Conclusion
WITH a limited budget and a great need to boost programs to protect and conserve the ocean, the government is revisiting its coral reef-rehabilitation strategy.
Instead of just transplanting corals and installing artificial coral reefs, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is looking at expanding and strengthening protection measures for national marine-protected areas (MPAs).
Establishing additional MPAs with stronger protection measures is “more cost-effective” than rehabilitating damaged corals through coral transplantation or construction of artificial coral reefs to boost fish production.
Vincent Hilomen of the DENR-Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB) said the establishment and protection of more MPAs would allow corals to recover naturally and would not drain the DENR-BMB’s limited resources. Coral-reef rehabilitation would cost the government around P500,000 to as much as P5 million per hectare, depending on the damage or areas to recover or restore, according to a report by the Coral Reef Targeted Research & Capacity Building for Management.
Hilomen, DENR-BMB marine key biodiversity areas project manager, said such costs can be avoided by identifying areas that can recover faster on their own without human intervention. He said this strategy is also the same in the case of mangroves, wherein scientists observed the resilience and faster recovery of natural mangrove forests than man-made mangrove forests, especially if the reforested area is planted with the wrong species.
According to DENR-BMB Director Theresa Mundita S. Lim, the establishmentt of MPAs to protect more areas, including the existing corals, would allow faster recovery of the country’s spawning grounds for fish and other marine life.
Lim said, because threats are multifaceted, the DENR is addressing the problem “in an integrated and holistic manner”.
The DENR-BMB is now focused more on establishing networks of MPAs, she added. Lim explained that MPAs may be at the national level or at the local level. She also underscored the importance of identifying the country’s remaining rich marine ecosystems to enable the state to secure these areas. To do so, these areas can continue to be a spawning ground for important marine and fishery resources and, eventually, contribute to the recovery of surrounding degraded marine ecosystems, Lim explained.
She added the DENR-BMB is looking at “interconnectivities” of the marine ecosystems to develop networks of MPAs that will support every stage of the life cycle of keystone marine species.
Lim said strengthening law enforcement will require interagency cooperation to eliminate the threats to important marine ecosystems. Thus, it requires closer interagency cooperation, which will include law-enforcement agencies to boost protection and reduce or eliminate poaching.
Lim said aside from National MPAs, the DENR is also banking on various initiatives of local government units (LGUs) in identifying and establishing local MPAs.
Regional cooperation
TWO years ago, at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meeting held in Manila, former Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje pitched the call for stronger cooperation among Apec member-economies to achieve the full potential of the so-called Blue Economy in the region.
Environment and Natural Resources Undersecretary Jonas R. Leones said the Philippines remains committed and active in supporting various regional cooperation and initiatives on ocean conservation and protection. Leones, DENR Undersecretary for the Environment and International Environment Affairs, cited the foremost commitment is the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF), a multilateral partnership of six countries formed in 2007 to address the urgent threats facing the coastal and marine resources.
Aside from the Philippines, countries committed to the CTI-CFF are Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Timor Leste. The Philippines is also part of the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (Pemsea), which was created to foster and sustain healthy and resilient coasts and oceans, communities and economies across the Seas of East Asia through integrated management solutions and partnerships.
The Pemsea has provided solutions for effective management of coasts and oceans across seas shared by countries in East Asia. The Pemsea acts as the regional coordinating mechanism for the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA), which is a shared marine strategy among 14 countries, the Philippines included, in the region.
Alphabet soup
LEONES said the Philippines is also part of another regional initiative called Cobsea (Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia), which steers the East Asian Seas Action Plan (Easap) approved in 1981. The Easap was stimulated by concerns on the effects and sources of marine pollution.
Regional cooperation, he said, is a must to successfully protect and conserve the ocean.
“We are coordinating with neighboring countries to protect the ocean. Fish has no nationality. They are pelagic,” Leones said. “We want to protect our habitats. Countries, particularly in the Coral Triangle, must protect the ocean.”
He explained that under the CTI-CFF, the Philippines coordinates with institutions to finance various programs. The Philippines is the chairman of the CTI-CFF, which is based in Indonesia.
Efforts to protect the Coral Triangle Region, Leones said, is coordinated with the Philippines playing an important role. Coral rehabilitation, he added, is relatively new for the Philippines, as the country focused more on coastal rehabilitation. The latter involves the reforestation of degraded mangrove and beach forests. “We are now also pursuing coral and sea-grass rehabilitation,” he said. Like degraded forest, if you let it recover naturally, it will recover but the recovery will be slow, according to Leones. “We need to continue assisting the recovery of our mangroves, sea grass and coral reefs.”
Expanding areas
LEONES said that, while the DENR is looking at reducing, if not eliminating, the threats to existing coastal and marine ecosystems, it will continue to pursue various programs to expand the areas for rehabilitation.
“The irony is that we are trying to rehabilitate the degraded area, but we failed to protect the existing [areas],” he said, explaining government will continue to look at ways to strengthen protection and conservation measures of existing coastal and marine ecosystems while identifying more areas for rehabilitation and development.
More important, Leones said the government is now tapping on the expertise of various academic institutions.
“Now, we are partnering with various institutions, such as the UP Marine Science Institute and other state colleges and universities, because they have the expertise on coastal and marine rehabilitation.”
The DENR also continues to partner with various stakeholders in the implementation of national programs and projects, Leones added. After all, the government has everything to lose and much to gain in protecting its rich coastal and marine resources and, right now, the only way to save the oceans is to ensure broader stakeholder support and participation.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes