A.C. Alcala

Apo Island Marine Reserve is now 27 years old, having been established through a written agreement between Dauin Municipality and Silliman University in 1982. In reality it began as a community-based no-take marine reserve protected by most of the local community members of the Barangay of Apo Island as early as 1980, but later acquired a stronger   legal framework through a municipal ordinance approved by the Dauin Municipal Council, Dauin, Negros Oriental province in 1986. In that year, the marine reserve can be considered local government-managed. Note that this ordinance predated the Local Government Code of 1991, showing that Dauin was ahead of the times in marine conservation.

But beginning in 1986, the reserve has been actually co-managed by the local government and the local community, with the Apo community providing a very effective protection effort.

In 1994, Apo Marine Reserve was proclaimed by Philippine President F. V. Ramos as a “Protected Landscape and Seascape” under the 1992 National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act. Under this law, Apo Marine Marine Reserve came under the jurisdiction of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, with the Protected Areas Management Board (PAMB) as the implementer of the rules and regulations of the Apo Marine Reserve. However,  elements of local management are part of the management practices of the PAMB.

By the way, some people, including a Silliman sociologist and two CRM “experts” from a British university and the present mayor of Dauin municipality, have criticized this shift from local government governance to national governance by the PAMB arguing that the Presidential proclamation under the NIPAS was a mistake for various reasons. The mayor’s main reason is the requirement to remit user fees to the national government, denying immediate use by the local community of Apo. This is no longer true after a couple of years of advocacy led by us to change this regulation. A new set of regulations, DAO No. 2008-26, provides that the 75% share of the local community should now go to them directly and should be deposited in the local banks.

The criticism of the British “experts” that the PAMB has not done its job is subject to debate. Their conclusion that Apo Marine Reserve is no longer the number one community-managed no-take marine reserve in the world has little, if any, scientific basis. These critics have not pinpointed the world’s number one no-take, community-based marine reserve that replaced Apo. The reason is simple, there is none.

Before the establishment of the Apo Marine Reserve in 1982, the Island of Apo was part of the study area of scientists at the Silliman Marine Laboratory headed by myself. In the late 1960s and the whole decade of the 1970s, the land vertebrates and the marine biodiversity of Apo Island were studied by us.

In the late 1970s, we conducted a program on conservation biology among the residents of the island using information on fish, fisheries and coral reefs gathered from Sumilon Island off southern Cebu, where we had earlier, in 1974, established the first no-take marine reserve in the country. We conducted lectures illustrated by color slides, one-on-one meetings with the Apo community, and community assemblies on biological conservation, emphasizing the important roles of marine reserves in improving biodiversity, enhancing fisheries yield through spillover, and other uses benefiting coastal communities such as tourism, as well as destructive effects of blast fishing and muro-ami fishing on coral reefs. These activities were preliminary requirements to formal community organizing that was conducted by our social workers in the early 1980s. Community organizing was the final activity that resulted in the empowerment of the people to manage their resources without depending on government action prior to the establishment of the Apo Marine Reserve. The Reserve is the central feature of the whole conservation program that distinguishes the Apo Marine Reserve from a number of marine protected areas in the world.   

An estimated 500 residents inhabited the island during the 1970s and the 1980s. At those times, it was obvious that the main source of livelihood for the people was fishing. The marks of poverty and malnutrition were seen on the faces of both adults and children. Their dilapidated houses completed the picture showing their poor living conditions. 

How is Apo Marine Reserve today? Apo Marine Reserve has served as a model of conservation where the local community and national and local agencies of government have participated. As such, it has influenced resource policy such as those in the Fishery Code of 1998. It has influenced local government units to establish marine protected areas now numbering some 563 in the Visayas and about 1000 throughout the country. It has been show-cased by a famous aquarium in Chicago, USA, the Shedd Aquarium. It is still the best community-managed (despite its national park status) no-take marine reserve that attracts people on vacation, scientists, students, foreign media people, and tourists. In 2008, 17,329 visitors, of which 60% came from other countries, enjoyed the clear waters, the coral reef and the white beaches of the island.  These visitors spent 5.2 million pesos (ca 110, thousand US dollars) for user fees in 2008, excluding hotel accommodations and travel expenses. People have better houses now, and the island is clean and orderly. The island’s land and marine resources appear to have been maintained and are flourishing. Its coral reef produces at least 15 tons of fish annually, and there is evidence that part of this biomass comes from the reserve through spillover. Its coral reef has remained healthy despite climate change effects (warming) in 1997-1998. But most important of all, the people of Apo Island have higher incomes now and are happy and healthy and more than ever committed to protect and manage their resources for themselves and for posterity.

Having said all the good things about Apo, I am challenging all members of the Apo PAMB and the Protected Area Superintendent to do their respective duties well in protecting and managing the no-take reserve and the biodiversity in the coral reef and in Apo’s forest and in using Apo’s large income from tourism to maintain the island’s natural resources:

1.       The island’s population has increased from 500 to more than 800. The island’s carrying capacity is probably almost exceeded by this number. Island ecosystems are fragile and careful attention should be focused on the human population, otherwise Apo will go the way of Boracay, which is on a downhill trend because of too many people and serious water pollution.  An aggressive population management of the kind began by PATH Foundation should be continued.

2.       Young people from Apo are now learning skills to allow them to get jobs outside of Apo, and they should be encouraged to take these jobs.

3.       The island’s sewerage system should be checked to see to it that pollution of coral reefs and the shallow waters of Apo by wastewater from toilets is avoided.

4.       The lagoon must become part of the protected area. All fishpond leases must be recalled or terminated. This is DENR’s job. After all, DENR gets 25% of all user fees collected from visitors. In addition the area of the present marine reserve should be enlarged to include the entire third of the southeastern side in order to increase the spillover effect of the reserve.

5.       The amount of damage due to careless diving and snorkeling should be determined. It should not exceed one percent per year. Damage to corals results from divers standing on fragile coral colonies, so divers must be made to understand this fact.

6.       The number of scuba divers allowed to dive in one day should be continually assessed. The number of fishers should also be assessed with a view to preventing fishers from other areas to fish off Apo Island.

7.       Planting of more mangroves to replace those dying and to cover more beach areas should be done in order to shield the island from the rising sea level and from storm surges.

8.       All houses and structures on the beaches near the upper tidal limits should be removed to prevent them from being washed away by storm surges.

9.       The Bantay Dagat and those involved in assisting scuba divers must have a continuing education on coral reefs and fish and the effects of climate change on the marine environment. Authorities in marine biology and oceanography should be utilized as lecturers.

10.    The Apo community through its Bantay Dagat must monitor at least once a year the status of the corals, invertebrates and fish of the island. Monitoring is part of the community’s responsibility in management, and the Protected Area Superintendent (PASu) and the PAMB should see to it that monitoring is implemented.           

If the above suggestions are followed, I have no doubt that Apo Marine Reserve will continue to be number one among community-managed no-take marine reserves in the world.

Diminishing Baby Hawksbill Turtles Get a Lift

Zamboanguita Bantay Dagat has released 18 baby hawksbill turtles today , May 25, 2010 at the Marine Protected Area managed  by Dive Hub in Siit, Siaton. It is deemed an ideal area for them to swim out safely. Though Antonio “Tony” Yocor_s team is resolved to vigilantly watch the turtle eggs from poachers, their eventual survival in open water has still to be managed. In recent months, it has been observed that the baby turtles who successfully survive poaching get entangled in gill nets (pokot), which are generally practiced by fishermen  in areas close to where mother turtles lay their eggs.

As the newly hatched turtles appeared weak, the idea of waiting until they gain strength to venture unprotected in the wild was considered. Based on past experiences, these baby turtles that were given protection as eggs and later released were soon discovered on the shores, dead. Dr. Angel Alcala was consulted, and he advised that the Phil. Law prohibits this, and advised the team to carefully release the turtles in a safe shore area as soon as possible. The Bantay Dagat who have taken the pains of protecting these endangered species suspect that the water close to Siit Bay is unsuitable for juvenile marine life due to the overloading of carbon-based nitrogen  and phosphorous compounds from the uneaten feeds from the bangus fish cages in Siit Bay. The uncontrolled presence of these toxins degrades the water quality by reducing oxygen levels. The pollution is believed to be spreading out to Lutoban and other coastal barangays close to the said bay.

These baby turtles were delivered to the municipal Bantay Dagat by Alfredo `Titing`  dela Pena  of Punta Beach, Poblacion, and fisherman Mesael Elnar, which, according to them, hatched last Tuesday at dawn. They promptly took the baby turtles in a basin with water from the sea, hoping that they can be safely given proper care. Hawksbill turtle species is a solitary nester that prefers isolated beaches, and there are very few nesting sites left for them. A long term plan to reserve a  turtle sanctuary in an isolated area free from mariculture side effects, squatters,  and domestic animals has to be urgently addressed.

 Zamboanguita Chief of Police Teodorico Picardal, one of the strongest assets of the marine conservation program of the municipality, said that they seriously put effort in raising awareness for the community to help save the marine environment and actively participate in its management through volunteerism. “Increasing awareness for marine ecosystem protection is equipping  the residents to support our marine conservation programs, “ Picardal said.  “Many people still have to understand that the oceanic system provides most of the oxygen we breathe, and these bodies of water drive weather patterns and affect climate,”  he adds.  

This shift in attitude is very recent, though.  Seagrasses, which used to be abundant in nearshore areas, have been harvested close to depletion. This used to be the nursery grounds for juvenile fishes, crustaceans, and other invertebrates.  Due to current protection, the coral cover in the area of Lutoban is now recovering, but  the reef now have a more difficult time growing because of climate change and ocean acidification. Tony Yocor and his  impressive team of volunteer sea wardens hope that with the establishment  of Marine Protected Areas in their coastal barangays, fisheries management problems will decrease and prevent the collapse of  their municipal fishery. And perhaps, these turtles will come back alive in 30 to 40 years, and lay eggs to balance the life of our children´s generation.

end

May 4, 2010

Mr. Loreto B. Alburo, CESO IV

Regional Director

Mines and Geosciences Bureau, DENR

Greenplains Subdivision, Banilad

Mandaue City, Cebu

Fax: 346-9176 email: mgb7cebu@yahoo.com

SUBJECT:  OBJECTION TO APPLICATION OF KOLINSKI MINING  CORPORATION EXPLORATION OF SIATON AND ZAMBOANGUITA

Dear Mr. Alburo:

We are opposing the  the  mining exploration applied for by Kolinski Mining Corporation.  We  as direct stakeholders of the areas are writing our appeal for protection and to voice out our concern for the DENR to support small farms in Siaton and Zamboanguita  as this will help our farming communities to be economically viable, create carbon-absorbing greenbelts, and can mean less energy used, less pollution to bring food to our table. Moreover, Siaton is classified as fishing , rice farming, and tourism zones and provide jobs, food, ecological services, recreation and tourism opportunities that play critical roles not only in our municipality’s economy, but benefits our  country`s  comprehensive policy on environmental protection where all local governments are obliged in all measures to consistently apply RA 8550- where we are mandated to safeguard the health of the marine environment, and  prevent, reduce, and control of its pollution and degradation.  Siaton has currently four Marine Protected Areas and shall continue to establish more as our coasts are lined with coral reefs that make these ideal for conservation that will sustain life. 

 Our group is actively conserving  such coastal resources, and these efforts are privately funded, where scientific proof of our success is attached. The area we protect is surveyed yearly by Silliman Uniiversity-Angelo King Center for Research and Environmental Management (Directory of Marine Reserves in the Visayas, p. 119, No. 26, Antulang Marine Reserve). Likewise, proof of how magnetite or gold mining  in Cagayan has increased the area´s vulnerability to floods as magnetite holds the sand together, and mercury that is used for mining gold will permanently damage not only the groundwater  where we get drinking water from, and the soil where our farmers grow basic crops. The absence of magnetite in the sand can deplete the coastal and near-shore areas as now being experienced in La Union. Of course there is a lot of money to be had from this business deal, but please think of the majority who will eventually be crippled if you choose to waive DENR’s responsibility. We believe magnetite and gold mining is harmful and not sustainable.

Though Pres. Arroyo  “harmonized”  conflicting laws that contradict the Mining Act in 2004, we still have to follow international laws that protect our coasts from further degradation by industrial and commercial activities, be that onshore or offshore, that affect habitat loss, rising sea levels, or ocean acidification that lead to climate change.  The value of our marine resources is not a trade-off between the economy and the environment, and we need to ensure accountability for all of our actions affecting our fishery, ocean, coasts, and other marine resources.  Our basic municipal resources therefore require protection as we have a stewardship responsibility  from every government sector  who is tasked to monitor abuses and pollution for the benefit of this and future generations.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources  carries the Filipino people’s mandate to review existing environmental policies to ensure integration and collaboration across jurisdictional lines in meeting the objectives of our regional governance structures, and national and international policies for our oceans and coasts that we can employ an integrated and comprehensive ecosystem-based approach that addresses conservation and sustainable use of our country`s very precious coral reefs. For such reasons, we strongly object to all mining explorations in our municipality  as it endangers directly our reefs and poisons the fish  that sustain the majority of our community members´  daily food consumption.

Very truly yours,

DIVE HUB

 Gena R. Dayon

Martin R. Jordan

Arnold Alapap

Marites J. Zapanta

Junilyn G. Macabunlog

Enc:  SUAKCREM Technical Survey of Dive Hub MPA

Cc:   Barangay Captain R. Bondocan,  Siit, Siaton

        Mayor Arbolado, Mun. of Siaton