As an island nation, the Philippines is home to hundreds of endemic species, both terrestrial and marine. This makes the Philippines a center of animal diversity, which makes conservation and habitat preservation absolutely crucial to protect the biological biodiversity in the country’s ecosystems. However, because of the continuous habitat destruction, uncontrolled pollution, and destructive human behavior, a lot of these species are now endangered of becoming extinct. One of which is the pawikan, or sea turtles.
According to the DENR, five of the seven known marine turtle species can be found in the Philippines, with four of the species actually finding beaches the perfect nesting place. They are the green turtle (Chelonia mydas); hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) and loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta). Of the five, the green, hawksbill and olive ridley turtles are widely distributed throughout the country. Nests of green turtles are concentrated in Mindanao, particularly on Turtle Islands Wildlife Sanctuary, Bancauan Island in Mapun and other islands in the province of Tawi-Tawi, and Panikian Island in Zamboanga del Sur.
Nests of olive ridley turtles, meanwhile, can be found in the provinces of Zambales, Bataan and Batangas.
Hawksbill turtle’s nests can be found on Romblon Island, Magsaysay in Misamis Oriental and the Davao Gulf. The DENR recorded the first documentation of a nesting leatherback turtle in 2013 in Barangay Rawis, Legazpi City, Albay, in the Bicol region. Foraging, mating and nesting in the country’s territorial waters and beaches take place all year-round, depending on the species, Lim said.
Generally, individual nesters climb up the beach four to five times to complete their nesting in a season. Nesting season occurs once a year, but it is followed after three to five years, making it difficult to monitor and conduct a count of the number of nesting in various parts of the country, Lim said.
Why Is the Pawikan Endangered?
On a global scale, the population of marine turtles has seen a sharp decline, with all seven known marine turtle species on the list of endangered wildlife. Among these 7 species, five species of pawikan are found in Philippine waters and shores. However, sightings have been few and far between. Some sightings have even become limited to reports of pawikan carcasses being discovered, as well as marine turtle shells being seized from illegal wildlife traders. This is owing to the multitude of reasons, from ecological destruction to poaching and hunting of these endangered species. Conservation groups and environmental organizations point to:
Illegal Wildlife Trade.
Poor enforcement of environmental laws, particularly the law against wildlife trafficking, is a big problem in the Philippines. On September 11 elements of the Philippine Regional Police-Regional Maritime Unit in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao arrested six fishermen for possession of 23 live marine turtles, assorted dried fresh turtle meat and turtle shells, in violation of Republic Act 9147, or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act. The arrest was made on the waters of Barangay Timuddas, Pata, Sulu.
The ongoing marine turtle population-management program of the government continues to suffer a huge setback from the unabated illegal wildlife trade, particularly the poaching of endangered marine turtles, despite the ongoing campaign of various law-enforcement units.
Development of Coastal Areas.
The relentless development of many coastal areas has led to problems and destruction, especially to established ecosystems and the natural nesting grounds of the endangered pawikan. These developments range from building residential establishments in coastal areas to the building of beach resorts and hotels near areas where the endangered pawikan usually thrive.
In addition to habitat destruction, various reports of violations of conservation laws in beach resorts are periodically sent to the authorities. Some of the most notorious violators are beach resorts in Guimaras, Surigao, and Boracay. According to Yaptinchay, “He said just on January 3 his group received a violation of the law in San Carlos City.”
Some resort owners, he said, illegally hold in captivity pawikan, which go to beaches to lay eggs.
He said they also receive reports of stranded marine mammals, with some already dead.
“Once a week, we receive incident reports. We report them to the DENR central office. Sometimes, actions are made, but sometimes we do not receive any feedback,” he said.
Resort owners, he said, should learn how to best develop their properties, noting that many nesting sites have been sacrificed in the name of development. Lim said resort owners have the responsibility to help protect the endangered marine turtles. In the same breath, LGUs should do its part by strengthening law enforcement. Resort owners can help protect nesting grounds of the magnificent wildlife, while LGUs can pass legislation imposing stiffer penalties for violation of environmental laws.
Land Reclamation Projects.
One of the most detrimental human activities that have influenced the drop in sea turtle populations is poorly planned land reclamation projects, where the government and other private entities create land territories by dumping clay, soil, and rocks on the ocean floor. While these projects are centered around improving the economy by providing larger areas for commercial and residential developments, land reclamation not only destroys the natural habitat of numerous marine species, but they also lead to imbalances and significant disturbance to a country’s sustainability and natural system.
Unrefined Fishing Equipment.
Besides hunting and harvesting eggs, such as in Tawi-Tawi, by-catching or accidental catching has increasingly become a serious threat to the pawikan, he said. Yaptinchay used to work as an employee of the DENR in Tawi-Tawi. Many pawikan have ended up dead after being trapped in fishing nets left by fishermen.
Because pawikan are breathing creatures, they need to go to the surface to inhale and exhale from time to time. Once trapped in nets, they are unable to swim to the surface, drowning them in the process. “Fishing methods and gears that cause death to pawikan should be banned,” he said.
Poaching and Hunting for Food.
Aside from habitat destruction, one of the worst and biggest threats to the endangered pawikan population is poaching and hunting. While conservation laws have prohibited the poaching of marine turtle eggs and meat, a lot of violators still are able to evade the law and trade pawikan meat and eggs for novelty cuisine.
Pawikan Population Statistics Show Record-High Drops
Aside from the dwindling pawikan sightings in some of the previously rich ecosystems and well-known hatching grounds in the Philippines, various statistics from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) show the number of nesting marine turtles has significantly dropped from a record-high 19,550 in 2012 to 17,593 in 2013. This has continuously dropped in succeeding years, with only 11,277 marine turtles came to lay their eggs.
Along with the drop in nesting marine turtles, the annual egg count during the same period also dropped significantly. From the 2 million turtle eggs recorded in 2012, around 1.6 million eggs were recorded in 2013.
In 2014 the egg count continued to drop to just 1.3 million eggs. As of September 2015, the egg count is further down to just slightly over 1 million. Eighty-eight percent of the eggs have hatched and were released into the wild as of September 2015, considered as a very high survival rate, said Milo Ramoso, the DENR-BMB’s point person for pawikan.
“From this figure, we can say the number of nesting marine turtles is decreasing,” Ramoso said. Nevertheless, Ramoso said the report of declining pawikan population will have to be validated in the next three to five years, during which the same set of nesting marine turtles is expected to return.
What Is the Philippines Doing for its Pawikan Conservation Efforts?
As more and more nature activists and experts learn of the pawikan’s endangered status, nature conservation efforts are now being put in place to protect the pawikan’s population from further depletion. These include maintaining and operating turtle hatcheries. Small hatcheries run by LGUs, POs and NGOs, in partnership with the DENR, include those which can be found in Luzon, particularly in the province of La Union, Naic and Ternate in Cavite; Zambales, Morong and Mariveles in Bataan; Abra de Ilog in Mindoro; Lian and Calatagan in Batangas; and Dajican in Mati, Davao Oriental.
Ramoso said there are also hatcheries in Miatum, Sarangani province, and Punta Dumalag in Davao City. From January 2011 to October 2015, a total of 153,907 pawikan hatclings were released into the wild from the hatcheries, Ramoso said. “The hatchlings are recovered eggs that were transferred to hatcheries,” he said, adding that the hatchlings would not have survived because the nests are not safe from natural predators, including destructive human activities.
In addition, previously institutionalized government programs are still operating today to safeguard nature reserves and protect vulnerable species. These include the pawikan conservation program that is now part of the wildlife resources-conservation and protection program of the DENR’s Biodiversity Management Bureau.
The DENR-BMB’s pawikan conservation and protection efforts are the country’s contribution to the global effort to save the endangered wildlife from extinction. “Before, under the Task Force Pawikan, conservation efforts were concentrated on the Turtle Islands. Today the program is being implemented nationwide,” Lim said.
These conservation efforts include tagging the endangered pawikan for identification as part of the program. Since 1982 when the tagging started to 2015, a total of 14,987 marine turtles have already been tagged and identified as originating from the Philippines.
Lastly, in 2014, the DENR came up with a project to develop a series of manuals to serve as guide in rescuing endangered aquatic wildlife, including pawikan. Called Philippine Aquatic Wildlife Rescue and Response Manual Series, a collaborative effort of the DENR-BMB, MWWP and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, the manuals aim to guide stakeholders involved in the rescue and rehabilitation of injured or threatened wildlife.
Laws Have Been Passed for Endangered Pawikan Conservation
Since the creation of Task Force Pawikan, several laws have been passed, both national and local, institutionalizing marine turtle conservation along with other threatened wildlife, Lim said.
The program has inspired some local governments to establish their own pawikan sanctuaries or hatcheries to ensure the survival of the species. Republic Act 9147, or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act, promotes the conservation and protection of Philippine wildlife against various threats, natural or man-made.
The Philippines is also a signatory to several international treaties that promotes wildlife conservation, such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, or Bonn Convention.
Under the said law and international treaties, the Philippines strictly prohibit hunting the endangered pawikan, destroying their habitats, including nesting grounds, and harvesting their eggs.
But Why Is the Endangered Pawikan Population in the Philippines Still Dwindling?
While conservation efforts by NGOs and various groups have been successful in their own rights, saving hundreds or even thousands of the endangered pawikan from death, the country’s efforts may still be lacking. With pawikan populations continuing to drop every year, you may be asking the question why these conservation efforts may still not be enough – and AA Yaptinchay, a veterinarian and marine ecologist by trade, may have the answer.
“Our problem is implementation. Enforcement should not just be the problem of the DENR,” he said partly in Tagalog.
Yaptinchay, founder and director of Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines (MWWP), lamented that Filipinos, in general, seem to have no complete grasp of the situation of the endangered pawikan, saying that despite the law, hunting for food, harvesting of eggs and illegal wildlife trade persist.
Partly to be blamed, he said, is the inaction of LGUs.
At the very least, he said LGUs need to strengthen law enforcement for the protection of endangered wildlife within their jurisdiction.
LGUs, he said, can embark on a local program in support of the national government’s campaign by establishing units dedicated to rescue and rehabilitation, hatcheries or sanctuaries to protect and conserve these threatened wildlife and their natural habitats.
“Awareness is a big factor. We need an increased appreciation of environmental laws,” he said.
Yaptinchay observed that many wildlife species could have been rescued, saved, rehabilitated and released back into the wild had LGUs only knew how to do it.
“We lack technical know-how to address the many aspects of rescue and rehabilitation [of marine turtles],” he said.
What Can Individuals Do to Help Save the Endangered Pawikan?
While the pawikan conservation program had made significant strides, much still need to be done to ensure the survival of the endangered marine turtle species.
According to Yaptinchay, “Everybody can help save the endangered pawikan. All of us can make our share to save the pawikan.”
While some individuals may feel like the conservation efforts are something that should be delegated to the experts, there are actually small steps that even ordinary citizens can do to help save the population of the endangered pawikan. These include reporting cruelty against marine turtles, switching to products that are more sustainable and eco-friendlier, and avoiding practices and habits that may harm the pawikan directly or destroy their natural habitat.
1 comment
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