Philippine Coral Reefs in Critical State

DENR: The Philippines is in danger of food scarcity due to the dire state of the local coral reefs

An alarming 96% of coral reefs in an average of 26,000 km are not in excellent shape and are in need of restoration, stated Mundita Lim, the director of Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau, at a UN Environment Programme’s Land-Ocean Connection Conference. She further stated that the World Resource Institute mentioned in a study this year that the Philippines is one out of nine countries that have a high to very high coral reef threat exposure but with low to medium adaptive capacity.

Due to the critical condition of majority of PH’s coral reefs, the Philippines may be facing food scarcity, states DENR (Department of Environment and National Resources) officials on Jan. 24 of this year.

The coral reefs are homes to a diverse wildlife and act as carbon sinks and as a major mediator of climate change.

It is due to destructive abuse such as marine pollution and unlawful fishing practices together with acidification and the rising ocean temperature that are causing the worsening of the local coral reefs.

This year, DENR plans to put 5 hectares of coral reefs into rehabilitation with the goal of rehabilitating 300 hectares by next year, states Lim. The University of the Philippines – Marine Science Institute is researching on spots where rehabilitation will be centered on. Furthermore, the marine protected areas of the Philippines will be intensified to make certain that communities will take part in caring for the ecosystem as this is their main source of income.

Lim further stated that, currently, it is the private sector provides the financial support for the preservation of coral reefs. The role of the government can be to supply systematic and technological support to the conservationists of the private sector.