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Our Seas: Biodiversity Rich yet Highly Threatened
by Don Geoff E. Tabaranza
Haring Ibon Issue 37 | January-March 2009

The Philippines is a country blessed with very productive coastal ecosystems. It is one of the six countries in Southeast Asia which forms the “Coral Triangle”, the global epicenter of marine biodiversity. The country received even greater accolades in 2005 when it was dubbed as the “world’s center of the center of marine biodiversity”. This is the result of a decade-long multidisciplinary project led by Dr. Kent Carpenter of Old Dominion University. The project which involved 101 of the world’s foremost authorities on marine life analyzed the distribution data of 2,983 marine species and identified the peak of marine biodiversity in the central Philippine Islands.

No wonder SCUBA divers from all over the globe have been flocking to the Philippine’s world-class diving spots such as Anilao, Tubbataha, Puerto Galera, Apo Reef and Balicasag for a glimpse of the some of the richest coral reefs in the world.

But one doesn’t have to be a diver or a scientist to appreciate how rich our country is in terms of marine biodiversity. A visit to the local fish market reveals an astounding variety of marine fish from the pelagic tunas to the reef-dwelling groupers, parrotfishes, shellfish, crustaceans and sea weeds available for consumers. Filipinos are highly dependent on fish for food. Fish is the major source of animal protein, providing 50% of the total animal protein intake (Gomez 1997) and comprises the second largest portion with 12.3% of the typical Filipino diet (rice represents 35.1%), (FNRI-DOST 1993).

The dependence on the coastal resources and the long held belief that our seas provide an inexhaustible supply of marine resources have taken a terrible toll on Philippine marine biodiversity. Commercial fish species and other marine organisms are showing severe signs of overfishing.� Studies indicate that excessive fishing have reduced fish stocks to about 30% of their original levels in the late 1940s (Sylvestre et al. 1986). And despite the continuing expansion of the country’s commercial fishing fleet, marine fishery landings have leveled off since the 1990s at 1.65 million tons (Barut and Garces 1997; Green et al. 2003; Haribon 2005). The conditions in small municipal fishing communities are getting worse. The average fish catch at present is only 2 kilograms per day, only 10% of the average fish catch of 20 kg/day in the 1940s. Even the composition of the catch is changing. High value fishery species are getting rarer and fisherfolk are forced to sell even the small-sized low value species leaving the smallest and poor quality fish for household consumption (DENR 2001, Green et al 2003).

With over 60% of the country’s rapidly growing population residing within the 832 coastal municipalities the pressure from the coastal land development on the environment is very high. Mangrove forests have been reduced from 450,000 hectares in 1918 to less than 138,000 hectares today. Less than 5% of coral reefs in the Philippines is in excellent condition with over 70% in poor condition (Licuanan and Gomez 2002, Ali�o et al 2004). About half of the identified 978 sq km of seagrass beds throughout the country have been lost or in severely degraded condition (Chou 1994, Fortes and De Leon 2004).

But, hope is not all lost. With increased awareness, local communities and decision-makers are responding to the call of biodiversity conservation, and local initiatives to address habitat degradation are on the rise.
Over the past decade, the number of existing marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Philippines grew by over 166% to 1,169 from only 439 existing MPAs in 1997 (Haribon 2005; Arceo et al 2008).� One of the major objectives of fisher organizations in establishing community-based MPAs is to increase fish catch and they consider fish stock and habitat regeneration as indicators of success.

Fisherfolk organizations managing community-based MPAs formed strategic bay-wide clusters or ecosystem-based networks to increase their efficiency and effectivity in protecting their marine sanctuaries. Local government units (LGUs) also adopted the strategy. LGUs that share a common natural resource are banding together, and forming bay-wide alliances to jointly manage and protect their common natural resources.

Good environmental governance with the participation of all stakeholders is essential to reversing the trend of environmental degradation. Haribon Foundation supported by the European Commission and the Agencia Espa�ola de Cooperaci�n Internacional through the Cives Mundi is implementing the Governance and Local Development for Endangered (GOLDEN) Forests and the Governance and Local Development for Endangered (GOLDEN) Landscapes and Seascapes Projects in Lanuza Bay, Mt Hilong-hilong and Mt Diwata ranges in Surigao Del Sur. Through these two complementing projects, the local governments of Lanuza, Cortes, Tandag and Cagwait have increased the municipal budget allotted for the conservation and protection of their upland and coastal resources. Fisher organizations in Cortes actively participate in local development councils and lobby for increased patrolling and law enforcement of the municipality’s marine protected areas. Awareness raising campaigns involve the youth sector through community plays and local language.