Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Deanna Balatbat
Patrick Sanvictores
Thesis Statement:
Coral reefs play a vital role for the betterment of the environment and human
life, therefore it is crucial, as humans, to preserve the reefs by supporting
products that practice safe fishing, creating policies that push for better
Vandalization and Abuse of Coral Reefs and Probable Solutions for Restoration
Going to Anilao, Batangas in 2013, was exciting because it would be the
first time I would see live corals in real life. Seeing the pristine state of the corals
with hundreds of colorful fish was a fantastic sight. However, five years later, I
returned to the same beach. To my dismay, the once healthy reef had a
majority of its corals bleached white, covered in vandalism, and had less fish.
This sight made me feel dejected because it is shocking how much negative
“two-thirds of the earth’s biodiversity and between 70% and 80% of the world’s
plant and animal species” (Convention on Biological Diversity, n.d). Given this,
the majority of the population relies on significant industries for income, food,
and protection. Filipinos should recognize that we need to care for the coral
must. With that being said, the Philippines, being an archipelago, is home to one
of the most pristine coral reefs found anywhere on the planet. The Philippines is
part of the coral triangle, an epicenter of marine biodiversity. Therefore, there is
a vast range of invertebrates and vertebrates species found anywhere else in
the world. However, in recent years, there has been a rapid decline in the
in the Philippines are classified as threatened, with 70 percent at high or very
high risk. (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2011). In 2017, NOAA or The National
Ocean and Atmospheric Administration said that bleaching in the eastern side
of the Philippines had reached Alert Level 2, the highest alert level. It was also
stated by Dr. Licuanan (2019) that the Philippines has lost a third of the corals in
the last two decades. Climate change plays a massive threat to the coral reefs
around the world. Corals are sensitive indicators of how real the effects of
ocean acidification and warming. As temperatures rise, coral bleaching and
infectious diseases are causing once vibrant and colorful reefs to lose their
rates and alters the pH levels of water. Therefore, coral growth is stunned as a
result. Dr. Licuanan, a marine biologist from De La Salle University, said in an
interview with Businessworld, that “the effects of climate change are actually
secondary to human impact.” Human activities such as pollution, dynamite
fishing, overfishing, and construction near coastal areas are to blame for the
declining health of the reefs here in the Philippines. A shared study conducted
by the US-based Ocean Conservancy and the McKinsey Center for Business and
Environment revealed that the Philippines is ranked third on plastic leakages that
go the oceans. The destruction of the reefs has also drastically affected the
negative (Dy, 2018). The destruction of marine habitats combined with the
effects of global warming caused the decline of breeding for a lot of fish
species. The high demand for fish has caused several fishing companies to
of fish.
Coral reefs serve as habitat to “about 4,000 species of fish...hundreds of
other species, and contain 800 species of hard corals” (NOAA, 2017). With the
also considered to be the “rival of terrestrial rainforests” and probably the most
diverse of all ecosystems (Carilli, 2013). Looking at the beauty in terms of the
color and structure it holds, humans benefit from it in terms of turning it into
tourist spots for underwater activities such as diving and snorkeling, which help
governments earn economically. Corals also provide food to millions of people,
most especially in countries that have seafood as part of their cuisine.
the biodiversity corals hold is “considered key to finding new medicines for the
21st century”. It was also mentioned that these medicines include cure for
arthritis, cancer, human bacterial infections, and other diseases. Not only do
corals provide habitat to marine life, tourist spots, food, and medicine to people,
but they also protect the land. This is very important especially to water-front
communities. Scientists who decided to “home in on coral reefs,'' said that it
absorbs an “average of 97 percent of wage energy” (Nuwer, 2014). With all of
this said, coral reefs play a big part in the environment and in human life. Thus,
there are various notable impacts on the loss and destruction of coral reefs, not
only in the Philippines but all over the world. Marine life is highly threatened by
the great damage done on coral reefs, as it is the coral reefs which continue to
contain and withstand the biodiversity in the oceans. This biodiversity is what
reefs, marine life would not be able to survive (Carilli, 2013). Humanity, as it
seems, is as dependent on the existence of corals. According to Renee Cho
Economies are also greatly affected by the destruction of coral reefs as some
countries in the world such as the Philippines depend on their existence for
livelihood and tourism (Cho, 2011). The mortality rate of corals is higher than
their survival. As stated by Jennifer Koss, NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation
Program director, “If you think of corals as canaries [in a coal mine], they’re
chirping really loudly right now, the ones that are still alive, that is.” (Koss, n.d.)
for the betterment of the environment and human life, therefore it is crucial, as
humans, to preserve the reefs by supporting products that practice safe fishing,
creating policies that push for better management, and enforcing strict
regulations on eco-tourism.
Sustainable fishing allows and enables the continuous presence of fish in
the oceans all over the world (Sustainable fishing, n.d). The oceans which
which are vital for man’s livelihood and survival. Thus, promotion and existence
Tagbanua, Philippines are practicing spear fishing which is one of the examples
of practicing sustainable fishing. The people from Tagbanua also practice the
habit of fishing for different specific species in different times of the year. Thus,
this habit or practice ensures that various marine species will continue to exist
and thrive. They also make sure to avoid specific areas such as corals so as to
defend and ensure the safety and protection of the said corals which are
considered as the habitat of many marine animals. When these fisherman do
fishing, they use the hook and line method, ensuring that they only catch fish
which are only needed or enough for their survival and that of the communities
which they are supporting and feeding. However, it may seem that despite the
fishing, some people find the method to be difficult to follow. There are some
areas located all over the world which do not enforce strict regulations on the
practice and promotion of sustainable fishing. This then, allows fishermen to
the corals. Some may find sustainable fishing as a cause for the lessening or
probable loss of their livelihood due to lack of catch. In this case, a possible
cause is their lack of adhering and listening to the advice which scientists give
Due to the loss of a third of the coral reefs in the Philippines in the last two
better management on coral reef preservation and protection are needed in
order to rehabilitate the growth of coral reefs. Over the last few years, different
organizations have started programs on coral reef restoration. Rinkevich (1995,
as cited in Hesley, Burdeno, Drury, Schopmeyer, & Lirman, 2017) explained that
reef restoration “focuses on coral stocks within in- and ex-situ coral nurseries,
where individuals are then outplanted onto degraded reefs.” Here, trained
scuba divers and snorkelers basically “collect...coral fragments to be used for
outplanting” in the restoration sites (Hesley, et al., 2017). “Saving Philippine
monitoring reef check in order to collect data which can aid in determining
what help coral reefs need in order to thrive in the future. People who are part
of this program work hand-in-hand with scientists and local governments in order
to come up with a way of protecting marine life. This program has established
more than “sixty marine protected areas in the Visayas region of the Philippines
over the last ten years” (Illing, 2016). Geoff Illing, the director of Unico
Conservation Foundation, also mentioned that the Philippines is the most
important place where this program should be implemented because it is part
of the World Resources Institute foreseeing that “over 90 percent of the corals
will be threatened” by the year 2030, the “Department of Science and
Technology (DOST), the Philippine Council for Agriculture, and the Aquatic and
funded the Filipinnovation on Coral Reef Restoration Program that started in
2012” (Carlos, n.d). The Filipinnovation Program involves the act of asexual
fragments” and putting them in coral nursery units “for quick recovery and
regeneration to increase survival rates upon transplantation in degraded coral
reef sites” (Carlos, n.d). These nursery units can accommodate up to 500 live
coral fragments and can be used several times a year. This has been done in
also been identified as restoration sites such as Bohol, Pangasinan, Sarangani,
Palawan, Zambales, etc. where 538 nursery units and 487,158 coral fragments
have been established. “These activities contribute directly to the protection of
coastal communities by providing natural barriers, improvement of our marine
underwater tourism industry.” (Carlos, n.d). Possible policies which can also be
farmers to fish in specific areas where no corals will be damaged, strictly
when doing underwater activities such as snorkeling and diving, and strictly
prohibiting the act of carving or vandalizing of corals. These policies will surely
contribute towards the growth of corals when it is strictly followed, but this will
also cause less tourists to visit the pristine seas of the Philippines and “strict
location fishing” could also result in overfishing in certain parts of the ocean.
Policies are responses to understanding issues and their antecedents so
that proper support and actions to solve a problem can take effect. There are
several avenues for policy making such as bureaucracy, institutions, and even
the law. Recently, issues regarding the environment have garnered the
attention of the government. However, local barangays around the coastal
areas do not implement it properly; improper disposal of waste, illegal harvesting
of coral stones, and relaxed rules for eco-tourism are problems that could be
easily solved with policies. Therefore, stricter implementation of policies that push
for better management of the local coral ecosystem is crucial for the
sustainability and health of the Philippine reefs. White and Courtney (2004),
authors of Policy Instruments for Coral Reef Management and their
Effectiveness, stated that there are several ways in addressing them
barangays located near the coastal area, must pay attention to activities
around the vicinity. Therefore, policies that support marine protected areas or
(MPA) must follow several vital strategies, such as integrated coastal
management or (ICM).
Apart from following protocols, education about the laws regarding the value of
the reefs are crucial. Policies implemented with the proper information dispersed
to the public are bound to fail by providing insights, facts, and consequences
about the policies, and the reefs are vital in ensuring respect and proper
disposition in their approach to reefs. Regulatory access refers to areas that do
not allow any human activity within its parameters; this includes fishing, anchor
dropping, and tourist boats. Assigning designated spots and setting standards
for appropriate activities are crucial for the states of corals; this ensures that the
corals in the area are left undisturbed and economic industries such as fishing
and tourism are not jeopardized. Economic incentives are an essential tool in
making policies efficient and to make it attractive to key users such as visitors or
local fisherfolk. The use of taxes and rewards condition people to value the
reefs, and to have an awareness of what is at stake. Monetary fees on visitation
of the coral reefs and boats are concrete ways of placing value on the reefs; it
sets a standard of how people should behave in the vicinity. Setting up
community-centered activities such as trust funds and compensation fees to
locals, this warrants people to be active in conserving the reefs. These funds will
help restore the reefs when they are damaged and serve as a mini-industry
However, there are limitations to policy-making. To ensure the long term
effects of a policy, there must be a system to make sure that it functions even
after its implementation. There are several limitations on policy-making; Industry
compensation, the lack of funds hinder projects regarding conservation and
To conclude, proper restoration of Coral reefs is a matter of importance
which should be done and upheld. Marine life, and human livelihood and
survival are both highly affected and dependent on the existence of corals.
been implemented and are currently being practiced. However, it is only fitting
that these restoration processes must be continuously done so as to increase the
further development of coral reefs and marine life. Renovation and repair of
each and every contribution is highly valuable, specific but not limited to the
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