Threats to Coral Reefs
The Philippines is rich in coral reefs (Figure 3), having the most extensive coral reef system in the world (about 27,000 sq. km). Palawan has the largest share of the coral reef system having about 10,200 sq. km in area. The Tubbataha Reef, a World Heritage Site, lies within Palawan’s jurisdiction.
Tubbataha Reef is located 50 km southeast of Puerto Prinsesa and is only accessible by boats in a 10 to 12 hour journey usually in the summer months: mid-March to mid-June. According to the WWF, it is located within the Northern apex of the Coral Triangle, the global center of marine biodiversity which is a 6 million sq. km spanning Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papaua New Guinea, Timor Leste and the Solomon Islands. The reef’s distance to the mainland is good for conservation meaning that there is less fishing impact in the reef. Recently, however, the Tubbataha Reef protection was scrutinized more as two incidents of vessel grounding occurred within a few months from each other.
Year
2005 January 2013 2013 |
Ship
Greenpeace: Rainbow Warrior USS Guardian Chinese fishing vessel |
Damage
100 sq. meters 2,345.67 sq. meters 3,902 sq. meters, including massive corals aged 500 years old |
The USSR Guardian, a United States Navy Ship, ran aground the reef in January 2013 and was dismantled by March. The grounding damaged about 2,345.67 square meters of the reef and was the largest damage recorded in 12 years of record keeping. The damage was, however, eclipsed by the grounding of a Chinese fishing vessel in April, a month after the USS Guardian ran aground Tubbataha. The damage was 66% higher than that caused by the USS Guardian, measured at 3,902 sq. meters. The Chinese fishing vessel was also illegally carrying about 2000 dead and frozen panglonins, a scaly anteater (locally known as balintong). Pangolins are endemic to the area and are considered to be a threatened species.
A result of the vessel groundings this year was the launching of a fund raising campaign which was spearheaded by the WWF in building a new ranger station for the Tubbataha Reef National Park.
Regardless, the threat to the coral reefs in the general area of Palawan is from dynamite and cyanide fishing along with poor conservation and preservation management.
Regardless, the threat to the coral reefs in the general area of Palawan is from dynamite and cyanide fishing along with poor conservation and preservation management.