Batangas - Hamilo Coast

Batangas - Hamilo Coast

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Philippines has added Hamilo Coast demarcating Batangas and Cavite to its growing list of marine protected areas (MPAs). Hamilo Coast developer SM LAND partnered with WWF to preserve the area’s 13 limestone-ringed coves. They drew up a coastal resource management (CRM) plan to revive the once-rich marine habitats along the coast. The CRM program began with exhaustive assessments of coral reefs, sea grass beds, mangal or mangrove forests and offshore fishing sites. Recalls WWF’s Paolo Pagaduan, “many surveyed reefs bore pockmarks from bomb blasts, scars from 40 years of dynamite fishing. We eventually identified three priority coves needing urgent protection – Santelmo, Etayo and Pico de Loro.” Closure of the sites was the first step to recovery. Says Pagaduan, “at first there was a lot of dissent. Locals relied on each of the 13 coves for food and livelihood so absolute closure would rob them of income. It took over 10 months of negotiations to convince them that, given time to recover, the coves would be more productive than they could imagine. Two years later, we’re ready to finally close off Santelmo for fishing.” Pagaduan says that since 2007, the difference in fish yields has been noticeable. “We catch more fish now

than two years ago,” testifies local fisherman Adelito Villaluna. Local fishers reel in from four to 12 kilogramsdaily – a figure attributed not just to the MPAs, but to increased enforcement efforts against illegal fishers.

Batangas - Hamilo Coast

Saving the Salad Bowl

Arguably the best of the three coves, Santelmo has been dubbed the ‘salad

bowl’ – owing to the proliferation of montipora, a curious-looking hard coral, which closely resembles a lettuce head. Santelmo reef will now be declared a ‘no-take zone’, while Etayo and Pico de Loro’s reefs will be declared as ‘marine reserves’ – meaning a limited number of hook-and-line fishermen may continue to fish. “This is a compromise we deemed acceptable,” notes WWF vice chairman and chief executive officer Lory Tan. “Originally, we wanted all three coves declared as no-take zones. However, our top priority is still thewelfare of Nasugbu’s people, so untilenough spillover from Santelmo cove can accommodate their fishing requirements, we cannot deny them their right to fish.” “MPAs focus on much more than just the conservation of biodiversity: should we succeed in halting climate change, these pockets of marine resilience will provide the building blocks needed to restore natural mechanisms, which provide food and livelihood for millions of people. It’s a natural investment,” Tan said. Today the Philippines hosts about 10% of the world’s MPAs – over 500, a figure far greater than any in Southeast Asia. Established largely through local government initiatives and maintained through the blood, sweat and tears of local coastal communities, these undersea enclaves are scattered throughout the archipelago to provide vital safe havens for Philippine marine life.

Sadly, many MPAs are plagued by a lack of funding. Mismanagement is rife; and it is estimated that little over 100 MPAs are properly administered. The rest are dubbed as ‘paper parks’ – areas urgently needing funding and professional management. Two of the country’s best-managed MPAs include Apo and Danjugan Isles in Negros, both of which received best-managed MPA awards in 1996 and 2001, respectively. “Community support is paramount in achieving success,” notes Pagaduan. “By protecting their area’s reefs, coastal communities also safeguard future sources of food and livelihood.” WWF, the local to global conservation organization, has long pioneered the establishment and upkeep of protected areas in the Philippines’ largest coral reef systems. In October of 2007, WWF and the local governmentof Sablayan in Mindoro spearheaded the total closure of Apo Reef, the country’s largest – for fishing. In its stead followed alternative livelihood programmers and a robust ecotourism drive designed to keep livelihoods afloat while allowing the reef ample time to recover.

Batangas - Hamilo Coast

Dramatic results are already evident in other model sites. From 2004 to 2005, the world renowned Tubbataha Reefs off Palawan doubled yearly fish biomass from 166 to 318 metric tons per square kilometre – a yield seven times more productive than a typical reef. WWF and Hamilo Coast are now working with the local government of Nasugbu and allied organizations to establish three new MPAs off the northernmost tip of Batangas. Back at the Santelmo Salad Bowl, we find ourselves tracking a dozen-strong school of longfin batfish, graceful residents that vaguely resemble the silver-and-black striped freshwater angelfish familiar to aquarists. As they fade off into the blue, I self-consciously check my air pressure gauge. At 300 PSI and low on air, we finish up and ponderously begin our ascent, inflating our BCs to begin our rise to the world above. I take a final glimpse of the ghostly batfish and smirk as I imagine how beautiful Santelmo Reef will be in a decade. Will it be as beautiful as the coralcovered drop-offs of Balicasag Isle? Will it have the thousands-strong schools of fairy basslets in Coron? Only continued protection – and time, will tell.

Photo and Article Source : Inflight Magazine (Seair)