Why our ocean garden needs no trimming
“Under the sea, darling it’s better,” so sings Little Mermaid’s neurotic crustacean friend Sebastian—a lyrical statement frequent leisure divers probably sing to themselves, too, when they’re not passionately raving about it to anyone who have the mind to speak of the “deep blue.”
“It will blow your mind,” enthuses Jayvee Fernandez, a leisure diver that frequents the picture perfect marine wonderland of Anilao and Puerto Galera. “There is a whole new world that is waiting to be discovered under the sea. We have to be thankful we have such a beauty in the Philippines. We have some of the best dive spots in the world.”
Case in point, there’s Tubbataha Reef, along with Apo Reef, Busuanga, and Moalboal, to name a few. With vast waters surrounding our islands, it is unsurprising that the Philippines has an ocean region recognized as the world’s center of marine biodiversity. It is colorful, it is lively, it is photogenic. Called Coral Triangle, because of the abundance of its coral reef life, this 900,000-square-kilometer marine eco-region in Sulu-Sulawesi Sea comprises the territories in Philippines (70 percent), Indonesia (20 percent), and Malaysia (10 percent). Coral Triangle is also home to some 2,500 species of fish.
With vast bodies of water running along our sprawling coastline (36,289 square kilometers), approximately 12,000 or so species of seashells are exclusively found in the Philippines. And, read this, we shelter the rarest, most expensive type in the world: The Conus Gloriamaris or “Glory of the Sea.” According to the Department of Tourism (DoT) of the 500 known coral species in the world, 488 are in the Philippines. Of the eight known species of giant clams in the world, seven are found in the Philippines.
Can you imagine the underwater world and its coral reefs wearing Skittle-like colors, its schools of fish in different prints and patterns? Thank heavens for photos that capture at least a glimpse of our diverse marine ecosystem.
Divers, however, caution that taking photos underwater is very different from taking snapshots and selfies on land. “Marine life should never be endangered or stressed for the sake of a photo,” explains Jayvee. “Divers should learn how the art of buoyancy works so as not to damage the reef with fins. Or learn essential diving techniques like ‘plant your body on the sand or rock but never on the coral reefs and other fauna.’”
But it’s only seemingly in pictures though that the next generation would get to see the ocean’s bounty. Our beautiful ocean gardens, along with their “accessories” (wild sea animals), are slowly wilting, becoming sad and lifeless, says former World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature Philippines marine species director and current Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines director AA Yaptinchay. Statistics aren’t lying: Of the seven turtle species around the world, five are found in the Philippines, and all of them are critically endangered. And so are our dugongs, Irawaddy dolphins, and humpback whales.
Their natural habitat is also on the verge of a total wipe out. Only one percent of the Philippines’ vast, beautiful coral reef collection remains healthy. The rest are either dead or dying.
Over the last 50 years, almost 40 percent of our sea grass is lost and balding. Our mangroves, which provide nursery for wildlife species as well as protection for our shorelines against tsunami, have been decreasing over the past 75 years. Studies show that 3,000 hectares of mangroves in the Philippines are dying every year.
“We can attribute the vast destruction of Yolanda to the diminishing mangroves in the shorelines of Samar and Leyte,” says AA. “They could have lessened the impact of the waves.”
As the Philippines increases its population, (we recently hit 100 million and by 2050, the world population is estimated to be around seven to nine billion), Mother Earth is decreasing her ability to sustain the growing needs of her children. Spaces become limited: We found ourselves living near the shoreline. Beach resorts, hotels, and restaurants occupy the foreshore lands. We are bursting in the seams. Besides overpopulation, climate change, overfishing, pollution, and coastal reclamation are just some of the problems the ocean, which covers about 70 percent of the earth, encounters every second, every minute, every hour.
“Did you know that dugong, whales, and sharks used to frequent Manila Bay?” AA asks. He says sharks are indicators of a healthy reef system. Now, what remains of Manila Bay is a filthy, decaying body of water. “The trick is to balance the human population with the ocean diversity. And for the people to have awareness of their nature. You cannot conserve something if you don’t know its importance,” he says. So how important is our ocean? Just in case you don’t know, more than half of the oxygen we breathe come from—not the trees, although they are as important—but from the ocean. Most of the oxygen the earth produces comes from microscopic ocean plants called phytoplanktons, which live near the water’s surface and drift with the currents.
We have numerous laws covering everything there is about our marine biodiversity, banning this and that, prohibiting this and that, “but what the government needs is a stronger law implementation,” AA says. But there’s no room for cynicism, there’s still hope, says AA, “it’s not yet late to save the ocean.”
After all, we can always start small: Conserve energy, throw trash properly, reduce carbon footprint when traveling, plant trees, support local NGOs, and be concerned with Mother Earth. When you love her—everything else follows.
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