Agriculture Business Week

Our tropical archipelagic country is blessed with vast coral reef resources that are second only to those of Indonesia in terms of area. Coral reefs, natural structures built by marine animals known as coelenterates that produce calcareous skeletons, are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth with their teeming life forms. Akin to “tropical rain forests”, coral reefs serve as home and shelter to a myriad of marine life including plants, fishes, and invertebrates while protecting our islands from strong waves.

Of our more than 2 million hectares of coral reefs, only 10 percent are believed to be in pristine condition because of massive overexploitation and illegal fishing methods. Coral reefs have been exploited for construction materials and devastated by unscrupulous fishers who use explosives and toxic substances like cyanide for catching fish.

In the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 (Republic Act 8550), coastal municipalities and cities are mandated to allocate 15 percent to 20 percent of their coral reef resources as marine protected areas (MPAs) for conservation. Such MPAs can be in the form of parks, reserves, and sanctuaries. Coral reefs are estimated to contribute about 20 percent to the total marine fisheries production of the country.

The first marine reserve in the country was established in Sumilon Island (Santander, Cebu) by Silliman University marine biologists led by Dr. Angel Alcala in 1974. Of the island’s 50-hectare coral reef, 25 percent was “off-limits” to fishers to ensure the protection of the natural stocks that would replenish the stocks that were fished outside the “no fishing zone.”

To date, there are 1,169 existing and 164 proposed MPAs in the country, according to Dr. Porfirio Alino, coordinator of the Marine Protected Areas Support Network (MSN), a group of committed individuals and organization dedicated to the effective management of MPAs. The top regions of the country with MPAs are the Western Visayas with 417, Southern Tagalog with 205, and Central Luzon with 120. Forty-eight percent of the MPAs were within 11-100 hectares while 35 percent were less than 10 hectares in area. The most number of MPAs were in the Visayan Sea (717) followed by the North Philippine Sea (123) and South China Sea (113).

In an evaluation of the 16 MPAs throughout the country by the MSN, it was found that the areas with MPAs had a higher percentage of live corals than those in non-MPA areas. While there was a two-fold increase in fish abundance in the South China Sea MPA sites, the overall trend in hard coral cover and fish abundance remained stable for the last two decades in the other monitored MPA areas.

To promote public awareness on the importance of MPAs and to recognize outstanding organizations that have established successful MPAs, the MSN in collaboration with a host of local and international institutions awarded the three “Most Outstanding MPAs” from nine short-listed MPA finalists last year.

The winners were the Handumon/Libaong Marine Sanctuary in Jandayan Island, Getafe, Bohol (First Prize); the Sagay Marine Reserve in Sagay City, Negros Occidental (Second Prize); and the Twin Rocks Marine Sanctuary, Brgy. San Teodoro, Mabini, Batangas (Third Prize).

The 50-hectare Handumon/Libaong Marine Sanctuary was established in 1995. Through a people’s organization, the management of the sanctuary was strengthened with the enforcement of fisheries laws. Regular planting of mangroves and coastal clean-ups were done, and alternative livelihood projects for eco-tourism and.handicraft-making were implemented. Income was generated from visitors who observed the seahorses in the protected coral reefs of the sanctuary.

The 1,000-hectare protected area in Sagay City increased the catch of local fishermen from 3.27 kilos per fisherman per day in 1997 to 6.4 kilos in 2005. While the city spent P8 million for the MPA in Carbin Reef from 1997 to 1999, the value of the fish caught through sustainable fishing was more than P18 million for the same period.

The Twin Rocks Fish Sanctuary has an area of 22.9 hectares in the Mabini Marine Reserve (359) hectares. With the promotion of eco-tourism, the income earned in 2003-2007 by the Marine Reserve Resources Executive Council was P46 million from divers’ fees; 70 percent of which was used for fisheries laws enforcement.