Inside WWF Philippines

Yesterday the Nido Petroleum company presented to WWF their project to drill for oil in Northwest Palawan, 51 kilometers off the coast of Busuanga. They were in the process of obtaining clearance from the DENR to begin drilling operations and had conducted the necessary consultations with the local government, people’s organizations and needed consultation with an environmental group, WWF, because the project is within the Sulu Suluwesi ecoregion. So they presented their gem of a project, taking pictures of the consultation as proof that it had happened.

by Lory Tan

Aside from being marine animals, what do sponges, sea cucumbers, coral, humpback whales, barnacles, krill, oysters and whale sharks have in common? They are all filter feeders.

Filter feeders have been described as various types of ecological biomachines designed to purify water. Yes, they are feeders. But they are also, primarily, filters.

by Lory Tan

In 1978, I was one among a dozen scuba divers on board the outriggered live aboard, Aqua One, that visited Tubbataha Reef on the very first commercial dive tour there. It was nothing short of a submarine Serengeti. Like stepping onto the pages of National Geographic.

Then came the dark years, when Tubbataha went through a series of travails that threatened the survival of this national marine park.

by Lory Tan

WWF’s current focus in Luzon’s Bicol Region is our work with whale sharks and coastal resource management in Donsol.

Lest we are tagged as ‘bad news bloggers’, here’s some good news. After 6 years of hard work, the governments of Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines have just signed a tripartite agreement to conserve and manage the Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion (SSME). This milestone agreement over Southeast Asia’s most biologically productive marine environment gives the region hope.

by Lory Tan

The calm seas of the Philippine summer are here again. Along with this, the Tubbataha Reef management office cautions that this is also the period for the seasonal spike in illegal fishing activity.

Just last week, some fishermen were arrested within the Park. What is alarming is that they were small fishermen from the eastern coastal towns of the Palawan mainland, and not the usual commercial fishing boats from Luzon, or from China.

What does this indicate? Some areas along the Palawan coast may already be so badly over-fished that small fishermen will borrow the money and take the risk to travel to known high productivity areas far, far away. This is one possibility.

Another possibility is that this phenomenon could also be an effect of very strict coastal law enforcement. At one time, the TMO noticed that many illegal fishermen arrested in Tubbataha came from one specific town in Negros island known for its high quality of marine enforcement.

This continuing challenge underscores the importance of integrated, larger-scale management of marine resources and the inadequacy of small scale interventions. It also points out that clamping down on illegal activity in one site simply does not work.

All this leads to is a phenomenon called "threat transfer".

The conservation of diversity requires a diversity of solutions. Yes, enforcement is important. On the other hand, however, communities have to be provided access to alternative sources of income that are tried, tested and sustainable. Other than biological impact, interventions must target economic and social results that improve quality of life.

Natural science alone will not solve the problem. Neither will law enforcement. Business and local government have very important roles to play. As do all of us. We really have to learn how to work together.

by Yeb Sano

Ang dagat ay buhay. (The sea is life)



Of all natural wonders, I love the sea. For me, the sea is a refuge that takes away the toxins of urban life. A few hours by the shore where water greets the land is enough to ease the tensions of one who have become hardened by the daily grind of so-called civilization. A dip in the cool clear waters of our countryside coasts is a magical experience that loosens up every muscle and every bone. The sea absorbs my frustrations, and transforms my inner torments into waves of hope. And this enchanting experience is even multiplied hundredfold when I descend beneath the glassy surface of the sea into an underwater realm…a truly awesome sight that reveals the sense of humor and sense of beauty of the creator. Yes, the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen are beneath the waves. That is why I always look forward to a trip to the beach.

by Lory Tan

One square kilometer of healthy coral reefs can produce from 15 to 30 metric tons of fish every year. Experts from the UP Marine Science Institute have estimated, however, that up to 60% of our nations coral reef system are unhealthy, producing barely 5 to 7 metric tons per year. If we were to look at the total national hectarage of coral reefs, and consider the relative health of our reefs, our current annual fish output from coral reefs is less than 400,000 metric tons.

According to the Association of Commercial Fishing Operators, the annual consumption of fish and seafood has already hit close to 1 Million metric tons per year. This means that most of the seafood we consume, now comes mostly from areas outside coral reefs.

by Raf Senga

Coral reefs are vital, extensive ecosystems of great biological diversity found in tropical regions such as the Philippines. Healthy coral reefs are made up of reef-building corals, which in recent years have been experiencing greater and greater stresses --- natural and man-made, direct and indirect. Corals coexist with symbiotic zooxanthellae, which tend to disassociate from their hosts under extreme duress. This reduces the densities of the symbiotic algae and/or the concentrations of the synthetic pigments, which results in discoloration of the coral, a phenomenon known as bleaching, which can lead to the eventual death of the coral. Bleaching events have become more frequent and intense in recent years and have been linked to increasing water temperatures associated with climate change. 1998 is considered to be the worst year on record for coral bleaching. It was also a year of record high temperatures brought about by the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) which has been increasing in frequency and intensity over the years.