Richel Ann B.

Garma
7- Cherubim
Our Biodiversity for a Decade

“All for one, together us all. Let us save and protect our biodiversity or our future will fall.” Destroying natural
resources also means destroying the biodiversity. The nature supports variety of life in the world that what we call biodiversity
but as it supports variety of lives it is already on the verge of death because of the different activities of humans.

In today’s generation, we experience different kinds of environmental problems that leads to the destruction of the
biodiversity. We cannot deny the fact that it is us, humans who must be blame for this disastrous things that is happening. As
technologies prosper and give the humankind great advantages we forgot about the other variety of species around us. Are they
still alive? Or already extinct?

In land, one of the biggest problem is about deforestation. According to the article of Mr. Peter Walpole it states that
“the Philippines is one of the most severely deforested countries in the tropics and most deforestation has happened in the last 40
years. Estimates place forest cover in the Philippines in the year 1900 at 21 million hectares, covering 70 % of the total land area.
By 1999, forests covered 5.5 million hectares; only 800,000 hectares of this was primary forest. As illegal logging continues, the
remaining forest is endangered.” Because of this deforestation wild animals lose their natural habitats. In order for them to
survive they goes down to the mountains and go to the cities to find food but instead of helping these animals and other species
other people use them to become rich by trading them not knowing that some species are being endangered and the saddest part is
that some are already extinct. Deforestation also constitutes flood and landslide for there are no trees that hold the soil in the
mountains and hills that results of killing thousands and millions of lives each year. Also loss of different properties specially our
home.

Air is a primary source for our survival. Without it, we can die in just a second or two but air pollution is a very
rampant issue for a decade already. One in four deaths in the Philippines are attributed to air pollution. When the size of
particulate matter in the air is 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) and below, it penetrates into a person’s respiratory and cardiovascular
system leading to serious health problems such as pulmonary disease, lung cancer, pneumonia, heart disease and stroke.
According to Atty. Karen Jimeno, “One of the largest sources of carbon monoxide in the Philippines are vehicle emissions. The
emissions problem in the Philippines is compounded by old, inefficient vehicles that continue to ply the streets.” For me, it is not
only because of the old and inefficient vehicles but because vehicles are too much here in the Philippines. Example here in
Tuguegarao, as I observe every corner and streets are already covered by moving and parked vehicles. Sometimes you can no
longer walk on the side ways or lanes because of these vehicles. They emit too much smoke that pollute the air. There must
already be an ordinance stopping the issuance of franchise to lessen tricycles or even just to regulate how many tricycles can be
out for a day in order to also lessen the emission of smoke in order to protect the lives of our diversity.

There are also thousands of lives in the different bodies of water specially the ocean. It caters variety of fish, plants and
other species. Fishing is a trade that gives money and support to people but using dynamite in fishing endangers the bodies of
water. According to the University of British Columbia it states that “In particular, the study found that about a quarter of the
fishers in the region use destructive fishing methods including explosives and poison, which were both outlawed by the
Philippine government in 1932. Most other destructive fishing methods were outlawed by the government in 1998. Despite
legislation that banned destructive fishing, the use of such illegal methods persisted.” For example, a growing number of fishers
used crowbars to break apart corals so they could catch valuable but elusive animals such as abalone. As they use dynamite in
fishing they do not only destruct the corals but also the small fishes that can still grow bigger to be sold in better prices if it would
be caught in due time. Because of this type of fishing, yes, they can catch tons of different varieties of fish but also because of it,
in the ner future we can already witness or experience an ocean without fish or any other sea creatures for they will all be gone
too soon.

We, being the highest form of being or specie created by God, we must used our knowledge not only for ourselves but
we must also remember and appreciate the other species included in our biodiversity before it’s too late. We must also think
about the next generation. Can you imagine that they will only see pictures of the species nowadays for they will already be
extinct? Isn’t it that it is more fulfilling educating them on how we have saved the biodiversity for them to experience, see and
feel a beautiful life created by God and maintained by the humanity. We must learn to conserve and appreciate things before it’s
too late. Hand in hand, together as one. Let us make a better biodiversity and proud to say that “it is a job well-done!”
Richel Ann B. Garma
7- Cherubim
Coral reefs suffering in Philippines despite outlawing damaging fishing practices
By University of Columbia

The study, conducted in the Philippines by the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries' Project Seahorse and the Landscape
Ecology Group at the University of British Columbia, tracked changes in the types of fishing methods -- such as hand line, traps
and nets -- used on coral reefs between 1950 and 2010.
Researchers found that from the 1960s onwards, the use of relatively sustainable fishing methods like hook and line fishing
remained stable, while there was a marked increase in the use of fishing practices that were less selective and more destructive,
even illegal.
In particular, the study found that about a quarter of the fishers in the region use destructive fishing methods including explosives
and poison, which were both outlawed by the Philippine government in 1932. Most other destructive fishing methods were
outlawed by the government in 1998. Despite legislation that banned destructive fishing, the use of such illegal methods
persisted. For example, a growing number of fishers used crowbars to break apart corals so they could catch valuable but elusive
animals such as abalone.
"It is vital not to let damaging fishing practices become the norm," said Jennifer Selgrath, the lead author who was a PhD
candidate at the University of British Columbia during the research study. "Once people started using destructive fishing methods
they stuck with what is familiar -- even after those methods later became illegal. So, it's essential to ensure young fishers engage
with sustainable fishing methods such as hook and line fishing, or traps. It's also critical to motivate older fishers to set aside
destructive methods."
The researchers found that total fishing efforts in the area expanded by more than 240 per cent between 1960 and 2010 because
of an increase in damaging fishing practices and number of fishers. Previous research by Project Seahorse and the Landscape
Ecology Group found that the increase in fishing effort was even greater when they considered the locations where people fished,
since fishing tends to be concentrated in popular areas.
National fishing policies and development funding in the Philippines during the 1970s and 1980s promoted higher catches of
marine life and the researchers found this corresponded to an expansion in the tools and methods used by fishers. Changes in
fishing gear use persisted decades after those same policies were stopped in order to promote sustainable fishing.
"If the Philippines were to fully implement its new fishing laws on sustainability, then ocean protection would improve and use
of damaging gears would decline," said Selgrath. "Fisher organizations can also take the lead, as sometimes happens in the
Philippines, and cooperate on limiting destruction, ideally with support from local government."

Are Filipinos experiencing ‘wildfire’ pollution every day?

By Atty. Karen Jimeno
While wildfires are not a serious threat to the Philippines, air pollution is a year-round perennial problem in the
country. A 2018 World Health Organization (WHO) report found that the Philippines ranked third in the world as having the
most number of deaths due to air pollution (after China and Mongolia). One in four deaths in the Philippines are attributed to air
pollution. When the size of particulate matter in the air is 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) and below, it penetrates into a person’s
respiratory and cardiovascular system leading to serious health problems such as pulmonary disease, lung cancer, pneumonia,
heart disease and stroke.
UNICEF’s Air Pollution Report says that outdoor air pollution is most common in low-income, urban areas and is caused by
vehicle emissions, heavy use of fossil fuels, dust, and burning of waste.

In the Philippines, air pollution is a problem that cuts among demographics, affecting rich and poor people alike. “Air
pollution affects each and every one of us. We need stronger coordination and wider collaboration so we can once and for all
solve our air pollution problem,” said Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu.

The Philippines’ Clean Air Act of 1999 (Republic Act No. 8749) is almost two decades old, yet enforcement seems to
be an issue as the quality of air in the Philippines continues to deteriorate. The Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR) says it is working with the Department of Health and WHO to decrease the environmental health risk of air
pollution by improving the linkage of air quality and health monitoring, reviewing the air quality index, and strengthening the
health impact assessment for projects and activities that may cause air pollution. The DENR’s Air Quality Management Bureau
and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) are working together to track and apprehend smoke belchers. Smoke belchers are
subject to fines, license suspensions or franchise cancellations. 

Nonetheless, the continued increase in the number of vehicles in the Philippines may pose challenges to maintaining
healthy levels of air quality. Carbon monoxide, a highly toxic odorless and colorless gas, is produced from the exhaust of motor
engines or combustion of carbon-containing fuels, such as gasoline.
Richel Ann B. Garma
7- Cherubim
One of the largest sources of carbon monoxide in the Philippines are vehicle emissions. The emissions problem in the
Philippines is compounded by old, inefficient vehicles that continue to ply the streets.

The ADB study’s recommendations included a pilot program for retrofitting particulate traps on diesel vehicles.
Solving the Philippines’ air pollution problems would require a host of solutions — jeepney modernization, mandatory phaseout
of old/fuel-inefficient vehicles, incentives for hybrid vehicles, construction of mass transit systems, strict enforcement of the
Clean Air Act, and other regulatory measures related to non-vehicle sources of air pollution. 
While air is necessary for survival, breathing in polluted air is a threat to the health and existence of humans. It’s a risk
that Filipinos should be aware of, and most Filipinos are exposed to this risk everyday even without wildfires in the country.

Low forest cover in the Philippines : Issues and responses at the community level
By Peter Walpole
The Philippines is one of the most severely deforested countries in the tropics and most deforestation has happened in
the last 40 years. Estimates place forest cover in the Philippines in the year 1900 at 21 million hectares, covering 70 % of the total
land area. By 1999, forests covered 5.5 million hectares; only 800,000 hectares of this was primary forest. As illegal logging
continues, the remaining forest is endangered.

The Philippines is paying a high price for the destruction of its forests and a number of major problems confronting the

nation can be traced directly to deforestation. Today, the country faces food insecurity due to soil erosion, which means depleted

nutrients and low crop yield. In many provinces, at least 50% of the topsoil has been lost, and 70% of all croplands are vulnerable

to erosion. The country’s climatic conditions are such that typhoons sweep the country an average of 19 times a year. The

topography is mainly uplands with a slope equal to or greater than 18% and these areas make up 52% of total land area. In the

absence of forest cover and with frequent heavy typhoon rains, soil erosion, mass wasting, and landslides are induced.

The Philippines is facing water insecurity because of degraded and poorly managed watersheds. More than 57 % of the

major watersheds are critically denuded, which means loss of water infiltration and slow recharging of water tables. Nationwide,

water quality has deteriorated and cities like Manila, Cebu, Davao, and Baguio, are constantly facing water shortages. A country

that once exported some of the finest woods in the world is now a net wood importer.

The decimation of the forest is a tragedy for indigenous peoples. Ethnic groups become forced to retreat into the

interior and further impoverished. Government is doing little to raise these people above their subsistence level. Some have left

their lands, and the sight of indigenous peoples begging in city streets is not uncommon. They have lost their lands, and their

culture has been degraded. With the destruction of indigenous cultures, the nation is losing a treasure that should be nurtured to

enrich national cultural diversity.

This loss of cultural communities is closely linked to the loss of biodiversity. Tropical forests are rich in herbs, woody
plants, birds, insects, and animal life. Destroying the forests means destroying the myriad creatures and flora on which the
indigenous communities depend. Forest loss also means loss of forest products such as, rattan, resins, and gums, a source of
livelihood for indigenous people. Wildlife is quickly disappearing and to date, the destruction of the ecosystems is taking a heavy
toll on biodiversity: 18 species of fauna are already rare and endangered, while 43 species of birds are threatened with extinction.

In the Philippines, the promotion of CBFM, especially in degraded watershed areas, is imperative. People living in

watersheds have a stake in improving them, and by so doing, contribute significantly to solving the water problem of the

agricultural lowland communities and of our cities.