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In country
Philippine
Turtle Islands declared a sanctuary
The
Philippine Turtle Islands was declared as the Turtle Islands
Wildlife Sanctuary by Presidential
Proclamation No. 171 dated August 26, 1999, pursuant to Republic
Act No. 7586 (National Integrated Protected Areas System [NIPAS] Act
of 1992).
The Turtle Islands, located at the southwest border between Malaysia
and the Philippines, hosts the largest aggregation of green turtle nesters
in Southeast Asia. It includes nine islands, six of which are administered
by the Philippines and three by Malaysia.
The Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), through its Pawikan
Conservation Project of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PCP-PAWB)
and with assistance from World
Wildlife Fund-Philippines, is managing Baguan Island, the first
island to be declared a sanctuary. Related to this, WWF-Philippines,
in partnership with the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries
and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR), trained and deputized 40 fish wardens,
consisting of community leaders and members of the Turtle Islands, and
organized the formation of Municipal and Barangay Fisheries and Aquatic
Resources Management Councils (FARMC) for the islands.
WWF-Philippines also conducted preliminary research and coordination
with appropriate agencies towards the development of a policy recommendation
for the banning of “hulbot-hulbot” modified Danish trawl identified
by the community as a very destructive fishing gear depriving them of
their livelihood (Smithsonian Institution is assisting the project through
provision of scientific information regarding the effects of trawling).
To preserve the islands’ habitats and species, a draft management plan
and ecological
destination development guidelines for the area have also been
prepared. A centralized database and information network on marine turtles
is under development with assistance from the McArthur Fondation and
WWF.
Congress urged to pass first "protected area"
proclamation
The Department of Environment
and Natural Resources (DENR) has urged Congress to work for the
speedy passage of pending bills seeking legislative action for at least
five of the 10 DENR-identified "centers of biodiversity" in
the country.
Under R.A. 7586, known as the National Integrated Protected Areas System
Act of 1992 or NIPAS (Download),
Congress has to enact a law that will finally declare a recommended
area as a protected area and part of the integrated protected area system.
Secretary Antonio H. Cerilles said the initial 10 protected areas are
presently covered only by Presidential Proclamations. Conservation activities
in these areas are presently funded by grants from foreign funding institutions,
and by revenue-generating activities such as park fees collected from
visitors and contributions from foundations and civic groups. Generally,
the Secretary noted, these parks operate on a shoestring budget, and
at times are unable to arrest the loss of the biodiversity they are
supposed to nurture and protect.
Since NIPAS was passed in 1992, Congress has yet to enact a single law
on protected areas. Among the proposed bills DENR is pushing are those
declaring the Mt Kitangland Range National Park (House Bill 8676 and
Senate Bill 1510), Batanes Protected Area and Seascape (HB 0697), Northern
Sierra Madre Natural Park (HB 0697), Apo Reef Natural Park (HB 06283),
and Siargao Protected Landscape and Seascape (HB 8666).
The DENR is also working for the inclusion of two sites covering the
El Nido Marine Park in Palawan and Mount Guiting-Guiting National Park
in Sibuyan Island in Romblon.
Cerilles said the DENR has so far identified 105 sites to be placed
under the NIPAS law, and 21 of these are protected areas by Presidential
Proclamations.
DENR to delineate permanent forest line
The delineation of the country's permanent forest line is the banner
program of the DENR
for year 2000. Secretary Antonio H. Cerilles DENR's budget for all surveys
and survey-related activities have been reprogrammed to support this
program. Likewise, other DENR activities - reforestation, establishment
of control points, aerial photography, production of genetically superior
planting stocks, cadastral land information system - will be undertaken
to complement the program of activities for the delineation of forest
lines in each region.
Cerilles said the delineation of the boundaries of the country's forest
resources is also a target under the Philippine Agenda 21 (PA 21), the
country's' national agenda for sustainable development for the 21st
century and its commitment to the 1992 Rio Declaration.
The delineation of the boundaries of the country's forest resources
is also a target under the Estrada administration's 1999-2004 Philippine
Medium-Term Development Plan, otherwise known as Angat Pinoy
2004.
Cerilles said the program "intends to establish a defensible Maginot
Line on the country's protection forest, parks, protected areas, critical
watersheds, and the like. A total logging ban policy will be implemented
in the permanently delineated protection forests of the country."
"The delineation is important in solving the problem of squatting,
encroachment, fake and illegal titling [of forest lands], among others,"
he explained. "It will allow us to clearly distinguished, by location,
forestland and alienable and disposable lands. Delineating the forest
line gives as a truly defensible front line, one which is drawn more
tightly around the areas most worth defending. It will also reduce the
problem of dealing with resident populations on public land since even
the most fragile areas of the public domain already have resident populations,
including indigenous and immigrant people. And it will help us focus
our meager budget allocation within reasonable limits and targets, and
within defensible lines… and will enhance the implementation of
the NIPAS Act. (Download)
"
In a departure from previous delineation or land classification systems
where natural markers will use, the program will employ unmovable ground
markers or monuments will be established in delineating the permanent
forest line.
"The absence of an undefined and undelineated forest line on the
ground is one the main reasons for the degradation of the country's
public forest, which is often caused by squatting, illegal occupancy,
fake and illegal titling, timber poaching, among others," Cerilles
said.
Under current guidelines, forestlands are those lands classified for
forestry purposes, usually with slopes of more than 18 percent. Using
this criterion, 14.766 million hectares out of the country's total land
area of 30 million hectares are classified as forestlands. In 1998,
the estimated area of natural forest was about 5.39 million hectares
or 18 percent of the country's total land area; this area is expected
to be included in the permanent forest line of the country.
"Definitely, the final forest line will include protection forest
like parks, protected areas, biological reserves, wilderness areas,
critical watersheds, primary and productive residual timberlands or
mangrove swamps," said Cerilles.
Other priority programs that will be undertaken by DENR this year are:
Community-Based Forest Management, investigation of fake and illegal
titles, government employees reforestation program through usufruct
arrangements, development of Ecological Rest Area Park (ERAP) and Ecological
Roads and Ecological Destinations, development of a national framework
plan for small islands, and development of a comprehensive ground water
assessment and management program.
DENR sets rates for administrative services
A new administrative order issued by DENR
sets the following fees for "certain administrative services rendered
by Legal Service, Records Management and Documents Division and other
offices of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources":
appeal or petitions filed against decisions or order - Php500; authentication
of any official records or documents - Php50.00; certification of any
document or information based on records - Php25.00; copy fee for every
page/sheet of official records or documents - Php5.00.
The order was issued pursuant to Executive Order No. 159 and Memorandum
Order No. 199 (1994) to ensure uniform fees.
BFAR-7 has new director
After more than a year as officer-in-charge of the Bureau of Fisheries
and Aquatic Resources-Region 7 (BFAR-7), Corazon M. Corrales was recently
appointed bureau director by President Estrada.
Corrales said her bureau would continue to play an active role in the
government's Food Security and Resource Rehabilitation Programs, addressing
the needs of fisherfolk and the private sector, and providing the necessary
support to make the Philippine fisheries industry more competitive globally.
The Freeman,
03.24.00
Spinner dolphins beached at Dagupan
Eleven spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) were beached
at the mouth of Sabangan River in Dagupan City early this month, but
only three were found alive when fishermen arrived in the area.
Westly Rosario, head of the local office of the Bureau of Fisheries
and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), reported the fishermen saw the dolphins
as they were about to go fishing. Nine of the dolphins had old wounds,
believed to be bullet wounds, which were already healing, he said.
The surviving dolphins, two of which had injuries, were given antibiotics
before they were released.
Emma Molina, BFAR assistant regional director, said unfavorable climate
could have prompted the dolphins to swim to shallow waters. When it
rains, the dissolved oxygen count goes down, compelling the dolphins
to swim to shallower areas in search of a more favorable environment,
she explained.
Rosario said he was not sure if the dolphins were already dead when
they beached or died after the fishermen took them out of the water.
Villagers however said fishers here do not kill dolphins because they
believe that if they did, the "sea would eat our land."
Dolphins beach in Barangay Bonoan in this city almost every year, Rosario
noted. Y. Fuertes in Philippine
Daily Inquirer, 03.11.00
Overseas
Largest dive event set for Earth Day 2000
Want some fun? Dive In To Earth Day 2000! Get involved. Join divers around
the world during the week of April 16-22, 2000 and Dive In to the largest
dive event in history! Celebrate Earth Day 2000 by joining divers from
all over the world and do something you love to do: DIVE!
Dive In To Earth Day is an international Earth Day celebration offering
many diving activities at dive sites throughout the world, during the
week of April 16-22, 2000. The Dive In To Earth Day events will allow
participants to celebrate the Earth and have fun, while raising awareness
and taking action to protect our oceans, lakes, rivers, beaches and reefs.
For details and more information on local venues and events visit our
homepage and click the Dive In 2000 icon at http://www.reefrelief.org
FAO body developing Code of Conduct on Biotechnology
The UN Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and
Agriculture, a permanent intergovernmental forum, is developing a Code
of Conduct on Biotechnology aimed at maximizing the benefits of modern
biotechnologies and minimizing the risks. The Code will be based on
scientific considerations and will take into account the environmental,
socio-economic and ethical implications of biotechnology.
In its first statement on biotechnology, published this month, FAO stressed
that biotechnology provides powerful tools for the sustainable development
of agriculture, fisheries and forestry and can be of significant help
in meeting the food needs of a growing and increasingly urbanized population.
In the case of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), however, FAO called
for "a cautious case-by-case approach to determine the benefits
and risks of each individual GMO" and to address the "legitimate
concerns for the biosafety of each product and process prior to its
release."
"There are already examples where genetic engineering is helping
to reduce the transmission of human and animal diseases through new
vaccines," the FAO statement pointed out. "Rice has been genetically
engineered to contain pro-vitamin A (beta carotene) and iron, which
could improve the health of many low-income communities. Other biotechnological
methods have led to organisms that improve food quality and consistency,
or that clean up oil spills and heavy metals in fragile ecosystems…
and provide new research methods which can assist in the conservation
and characterization of biodiversity."
However, FAO said, "caution must be exercised in order to reduce
the risks of transferring toxins from one life form to another, of creating
new toxins or of transferring allergenic compounds from one species
to another, which could result in unexpected allergic reactions. Risks
to the environment include the possibility of outcrossing, which could
lead, for example, to the development of more aggressive weeds or wild
relatives with increased resistance to diseases or environmental stresses,
upsetting the ecosystem balance. Biodiversity may also be lost, as a
result of the displacement of traditional cultivars by a small number
of genetically modified cultivars, for example."
Investment in biotechnological research tends to be concentrated in
the private sector and oriented towards agriculture in higher-income
countries where there is purchasing power for its products, FAO also
noted. "In view of the potential contribution of biotechnologies
for increasing food supply and overcoming food insecurity and vulnerability,
efforts should be made to ensure that developing countries, in general,
and resource-poor farmers, in particular, benefit more from biotechnological
research, while continuing to have access to a diversity of sources
of genetic material. FAO proposes that this need be addressed through
increased public funding and dialogue between the public and private
sectors."
FAO assists its member countries, particularly developing countries,
to reap the benefits derived from the application of biotechnologies
through, for example, the network on plant biotechnology for Latin America
and the Caribbean (REDBIO), which involves 33 countries. The Organization
also assists developing countries to participate more effectively and
equitably in international commodities and food trade by providing technical
information and assistance, as well as socio-economic and environmental
analyses, on major global issues related to new technological developments.
FAO is also working towards the establishment of an international expert
committee on ethics in food and agriculture. (Full
text and related stories)
Enterprising program gives fish new passage to
old habitat, spawning grounds
For decades, dozens of species of fish in the United States have faced
life or death situations, falling victims to the industrial revolution
as dam after dam fragmented habitat and cut them off from their essential
habitats and spawning grounds. Now, more than 100 years after the advent
of the industrial revolution and the hundreds of mostly small dams that
were thrown up on almost every river in the United States to help generate
power for American factories, those old obstacles are being dismantled.
"Restoring fish passageways is one of the most effective things
we can do to increase fish populations, and we've made some impressive
progress," said Cathleen Short, Chief of the Fisheries Division
of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service. "We've really only just begun. Whether we take out
old dams altogether or help notch dams or build passages around them,
we're helping a species of fish make its own comeback."
Approximately 75,000 dams that are 6 feet, or higher, and some 2.5 million
smaller obstructions now block or impede fish passage in the nation's
waterways and is a principal reason for dramatic declines of migratory
fish. Larvae, juvenile and adult fish are often unable to reach spawning
or rearing grounds.
"There may be few programs that have enjoyed such a wide cross-section
of support," said Hannibal Bolton, Chief of the Fisheries Division's
Fish and Wildlife Management Assistance branch. "We helped to build
a new fish passageway on the James River in Richmond that involved more
than two dozen federal, state and local agencies and civic organizations.
When you have that many people in agreement from that kind of cross-section,
you know you're on to something."
In 2000, the Service has $900,000 to pump into fish passage projects
in seven watersheds in 12 states, removing four dams and other impediments
and restoring access to more than 1,000 miles of habitat for fish and
other aquatic species.
More than 17 commercially and recreationally important species such
as salmonids, American shad, river herring and sturgeon as well as four
species already on the Endangered Species list will benefit, and the
projects also hold the promise of helping to avoid listing other species.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible
for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and
their habitats for the continuing benefit of
the American people.
CRMP News
Reef check notes increased marine life at Gilutongan
Island
CRMP reported increased fish
abundance at Gilutongan Island off Mactan since the establishment there
of a marine sanctuary in 1991. The Project, along with the Bureau of
Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the University of the Philippines-Marine
Science Institute, conducted a resource assessment in the area last
March 20 and 22 and noted an increase in fish population inside as well
as outside the sanctuary.
The increase is still only minimal, said Cordova Mayor Arleigh Sitoy,
but it is an indication that management of the sanctuary is bearing
fruit. Sitoy said his government will develop programs that would help
ensure the sustainability of the sanctuary.
The Municipality of Cordova approved an ordinance creating the Gilutongan
Marine Sanctuary in 1991, shortly after the passage of the Local Government
Code. The Local Government Code mandates local government units to protect
municipal waters, defined as " streams, lakes, inland bodies of
water and tidal waters within the municipality which are not included
within the protected areas… and marine waters included between
two lines drawn perpendicular to the general coastline from points where
the boundary lines of the municipality touch the sea at low tide and
a third line parallel with the general coastline include including offshore
islands and 15 kilometers from such coastline."
Recreational activities have been regulated by virtue an ordinance passed
in September 1999. The ordinance provides for users' fees ranging from
Php50-Php300 per person who uses the sanctuary.
Another monitoring activity is set for November.
Bohol, Negros Oriental host study tour group from
Masbate
A group of provincial government staff from Masbate, led by three Provincial
Board members, visited this month successful local government initiatives
in coastal resource management in Bohol and Negros Oriental
.
In Bohol, the group toured the Banacon Mangrove Plantation in Getafe,
where they were met by Mayor Cariso Camacho and interacted with community
members. They also consulted with the local government of Tubigon, led
by Mayor Paulo Lasco, on various operational and policy aspects of coastal
resource management. In Tagbilaran City, the seat of the provincial
government, the group met with key officials led by Vice Governor Edgar
Chatto.
Bohol is considered a pioneer in the institutionalization of environmental
management in the provincial government. It is the first province to
adopt an Environment Code, and has instituted coastal resource management
as a service of the provincial government's Bohol Environmental Management
Office (BEMO).
In Negros Oriental, the group met with provincial officials involved
in the province's long-running coastal resource management program.
Negros Oriental has more than two decades of experience in coastal management,
beginning with the World Bank-funded Central Visayas Regional Project.
A highlight of the tour was a visit to Apo Island, where the group learned
about community-based marine sanctuary management.
Provincial Board Member Herminio Valdemoro, who chairs the Board's agriculture
and fisheries committee, described the tour as "all at once exhausting
and energizing."
"We are going home determined to apply well the lessons we learned,"
he said.
ILOM News
ILOM-Cebu sets celebrity dive
The I Love the Ocean Movement-Cebu
Chapter is organizing a "Celebrity Dive for a Cause" at Moalboal,
a world-renowned dive resort in Cebu on May 12 in celebration of the
Month of the Ocean in the Philippines. The event is sponsored by, among
others, ILOM-Cebu, the local government of Moalboal, dive shops and
beach resorts, Air Philippines, Universal Robina Corporation, CRMP-DENR,
and various cause-oriented groups.
For details, email mario@oneocean.org.
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