Philippine scientist named ‘hero of environment’

Nestor P. Burgos Jr., Philippine Daily Inquirer 12 Oct 08

ILOILO CITY, Philippines—“It’s not for me. It’s for the mangroves.”

As always, Jurgenne Primavera thought about her advocacy first before her achievements.

The retired Iloilo-based scientist has been featured by Time magazine in its Oct. 6 special issue on “Heroes of the Environment.” She was among 30 activists, scientists, celebrities, innovators and financiers all over the world who were cited for their contribution to environmental protection.

What they have in common is the passion and resourcefulness to confront environmental threats, Time said.

“They cannot solve climate change alone or save endangered species single-handedly. But by their example, by their willingness to dedicate themselves to what too many still dismiss as a hopeless case, these heroes of the environment provide light in the darkness.”

Primavera, 61, was lauded for her “groundbreaking studies” on the life cycle of tiger prawns in the country which “helped galvanize an aquaculture revolution.”

The magazine cited her campaign for sustainable fish-farming in order to protect the mangrove forests that act as a fish nursery and a crucial buffer zone between land and sea which help block floods and tsunamis.

Recognition

Primavera, who has already received various awards, honors and citations from the academe and scientific community, including an honorary doctorate from the Stockholm University in 2004, said she was happy to be among Time’s choices because this would bring her campaign to a wider audience.

“It’s not I and my peers who will ultimately save the environment. It’s the laymen, the common folk, who will,” she said.

She also hopes that the fame will inspire young people to take up marine biology and focus on mangroves. She stressed the importance of educating children about environmental issues and preservation efforts.

“Start with the children because the values they learn will stay with them for a lifetime, the same way my experiences shaped my beliefs,” she said.

She remembered growing up surrounded by native trees in her hometown in Buenavista, Agusan del Norte. She would spend hours with her siblings climbing mango, avocado and other tropical trees in their backyard.

But she also recalled the yearly floods caused by rampant logging that denuded forests in her province and often made roads impassable.

And on the day she took a scholarship examination of the National Science Development Board in 1961, floodwaters damaged or destroyed many bridges in Agusan del Norte, forcing her and her father to cross rivers on coconut trunks or bamboo poles to get to the testing center.

Her fondness for nature and experiences helped develop her interest on sciences and the environment. She eventually took zoology at the University of the Philippines in Diliman under an NSDB scholarship and graduated cum laude in 1966.

Primavera said her college life was mostly field trips for her course. “I was surprised that I couldn’t find a photo of me in a party. They were all taken in the field,” she said, laughing.

After graduating, she decided to go back to Mindanao and teach biology at the Mindanao State University in Marawi City until 1975. She enjoyed her work and going back to her roots and a pristine environment, and bringing her students to field trips.

“Teaching was a high point in my life,” Primavera said.

She developed her awareness of the environmental impact of development projects, especially those in Lake Lanao.

Passion

Her passion was also greatly reinforced by her participation in the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm in 1972.

But the intensifying armed conflict between government troops and Moro rebels in the 1970s prompted her and several other scientists in Mindanao to relocate to Iloilo and join the Southeast Asian Fisheries and Development Center (Seafdec).

She spent her early years in the center back in its field station in Leganes town, spending hours on fishponds to work on brood stocks and study mangroves.

A few years later, she obtained a master’s degree in zoology at the Indiana University.

In 1990, she was granted a scholarship for her doctorate studies by the Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development. Her thesis at UP Diliman focused on the impact of aquaculture on mangroves which also shaped her lifetime commitment to the preservation of mangroves.

While working on her thesis, she spent two years researching on Guimaras Island, which has one the richest varieties of mangrove species in the country.

After her studies, Primavera returned to research work at Seafdec, focusing on environment aquaculture.

She spoke out on threats of the booming shrimp and prawn industry on mangroves, and pointed at the destruction of mangrove areas or their conversion to fishponds.

She also expressed concern over the adverse impact of fishponds on municipal fishing, the means of livelihood of the majority of fishermen.

At a time when aquaculture was booming, Primavera rang warning bells on the perils of unregulated shrimp farming.

She has pushed for the maintenance of a health balance between areas developed for aquaculture and those preserved for mangroves. For every unit area developed for ponds, there should be at least four unit areas for mangroves (1:4) to help protect the environment.

She admits being ostracized in aquaculture circles for her advocacy but she was later vindicated by the impact of the boom-and-bust nature of the shrimp industry that brought long-term damage to the environment.

Her work on mangroves was given a significant boost in 2004 with the publication of the “Handbook of Mangroves in the Philippines-Panay,” which she coauthored with other scientists and mangrove specialists. The manual was released to help students, nongovernment organizations and environmentalists better appreciate the country’s mangrove resources.

“We wanted people to look at mangroves through our eyes,” Primavera said.

Active in retirement

Now a grandmother of two, she remains one of the most active advocates of the protection of mangroves and the conservation of natural resources.

She cited the alarming state of mangroves, with only a fifth remaining from the 500,000 hectares at the turn of the 20th century. On the other hand, brackish water ponds have increased almost fourfold, from 61,000 ha in 1940 to 230,000 ha.

In between giving lectures and speeches, attending conferences here and abroad, and joining causes, Primavera tends to a nursery of native trees she has started to developed.

But she said bringing environmental issues to the common folk can be challenging. “People would always say at first that the issues we advocate are ‘indi makaon’ (not edible) and that economic and immediate needs should be prioritized.”

People would, however, easily make the connections between the environment and its impact on their lives when they attend workshops.

“The real challenge lies in changing the mind-set of policymakers and politicians,” Primavera said.

With the recent destruction brought by natural calamities, discussing the importance of taking care of the environment has become easier, she said. But she fears that the increase in awareness may not keep pace with the escalation of degradation.

“We need a few well-placed fearless fighters for our environment,” Primavera said.