Philippines: Marine Life Decline Costs $3.5B

Melody M. Aguiba Manila Bulletin 6 Feb 12;

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines must now aggressively arrest marine degradation so as to sustain $3.5 billion economic value annually, or it will spend for a more costly restoration of degraded biological reef while losing its benefits.

The country derives an economic benefit of $1.35 billion from fisheries, tourism, and coastal protection in coral reefs; $84 million from fishery and wood harvest in mangroves; $1.25 billion from municipal and commercial fisheries; and $830 million from aquaculture.

This is based on White and Cruz Trinidad 1998 study as reported by Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Parks and Wildlife Bureau’s (DENR-PAWB) Theresa Mundita S. Lim in a briefing paper at the United Nations Environment Program’s (UNEP) Land Ocean Connection Global Conference.

As fish catch has been consistently dropping since the 1980s arising from destructive human activities, a massive die-off of coral reefs will happen, much as how this is the trend globally.

“Over-zealous and destructive fishing practices are threatening both the diversity and abundance of fish populations that live in the reefs. Some of these practices are over-fishing, cyanide poisoning, and the use of dynamite, which permanently damage the reefs,” reported Lim.

Fish catch per unit of effort was noted to have consistently declined from 1980 at two metric tons (MT) per hectare for small pelagic fish to an estimated 1.8 MT per hectare in 1990, further down to one MT per hectare in 1995, and finally to a lower 0.5 MT per hectare in 2000.

Correspondingly, mangrove area in the country has been declining from 288,000 hectares in 1970 to 175,000 hectares in 1980, 140,000 hectare in 1998, and 138,000 hectares in 1993.

Given this direction, it is projected that there will be less than 100,000 hectares of mangrove forests left by 2030 if the decline continues.

The Philippines is one of nine countries with high to very high exposure to coral reef threats, according to the World Resource Institute. And it has low to medium adaptive capacity to counter such threats.

The establishment of Marine Protected Areas (MPA) is seen to help arrest marine degradation. It is also less costly.

While the cost of restoring a damaged biological reef is between $2,000 to $13,000 per hectare, the cost of managing a 40-hectare MPA is placed at only P40,000 or just P1,000 per hectare.

“The cost of restoring a damaged coral reef is high compared to the rather affordable cost of effectively managing an MPA,” according to the DENR.

MPAs are areas where fish catching is banned and limitation on entry is imposed.

Amid marine destruction, DENR claims government has already issued Executive Order (EO) 533 which adopts integrated coastal management (ICM) as a strategy in sustaining marine and coastal resources. ICM is being instituted in Cagayan, Zambales, Quezon, Romblon, Masbate, Iloilo, Cebu and Siquijor Zamboanga, and Davao.

But despite the presence of laws, the intensified involvement of local government units should be harnessed for a more effective marine conservation.

“Local initiative and involvement is the most effective method for the protection of coral reef and other ecosystems,” according to Lim.

With this, the Fisheries Code should be implemented where LGUs are mandated to allot at least 15 percent of their municipal waters for fish sanctuaries.

The Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) is also carrying out the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS). This includes support to zoning of Manila Bay, one of Philippines most important but critically damaged coastal resource.

DENR reported that the ICM has so far rehabilitated 2,129 hectares of understocked natural mangrove forests and established new plantation on 856 hectares.

But there is a need to carry out more rehabilitation. DENR has initially identified 2,000 hectares for rehabilitation under the Upland Development Program and another 7,500 hectares under the DENR’s General Plan of Action which supports integrated watershed management.

The government is also formulating a management plan for a total of 21,434-hectare coral reef area and 10,351-hectare seagrass beds, DENR reported.

Integrated into an MPA management plan are 30 MPAs nationwide including the Tubbataha and Apo reefs. There is also coral transplantation including coral farming in Marigondon in Mactan Island and Camotes Island around Cebu, Bolinao, Pangasinan and Duka Bay, Misamis Oriental.

These rehabilitation programs involve preventing destructive fishing, pollution, and sedimentation.

In a coral reef conservation, villagers are educated on the importance of coral reefs, community-managed fish sanctuaries (no fishing zone), and community-benefiting ecotourism activities are established.