A team of experts conducting orientation and photo documentation in Kalumpang or Snake Island in Honda Bay, Palawan, has expressed alarm over the massive coral bleaching occurring in the area.
Theresa Mundita S. Lim, director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB), said initial report revealed that as much as 90 percent of the corals in three different sites around Snake Island were already affected.
Ironically, the discovery of the dying corals came after the operationalization of Snake Island as the national marine research station of the DENR.
Specifically, the activity conducted from May 10 to 13, aims to showcase the three major coastal ecosystems in the area, including coral reef, sea grass beds and mangroves.
“On a rough estimate, the coral bleaching observed on the said three areas has an average of about 75-percent to 90-percent coverage,” according to the report, a copy of which was obtained by the BusinessMirror.
The team—composed of representatives from the DENR-BMB through the Coastal and Marine Division, DENR-Palawan Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO), Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, Studio H2O and the UP Marine Science Institute—dived in the three sites around Snake Islands to take photos, but was surprised to see the condition of the corals.
The coral bleaching, according to the report, could be an effect of El Niño.
The same sites were earlier assessed by another team from the DENR’s Ecosystem Research and Development Bureau (ERDB) just two weeks ago and found the corals to be still in good condition.
Lim, the country’s top biodiversity expert, said there is a need to identify remaining coral-reef areas that are still healthy.
“We need to put in place appropriate management regime in the area. We need to protect remaining reef areas that are not yet affected to protect the source of our recruitment in the process of rehabilitating the corals,” she said.
Lim said the discovery is “alarming” and needs immediate action by the DENR-BMB and various stakeholders.
“We need to look into it. This could also be happening in other areas,” she added.
According to scientists, coral bleaching happens with the loss of intracellular endosymbionts through either expulsion or loss of algal pigmentation.
The corals that form the structure of the great reef ecosystems of tropical seas depend upon a symbiotic relationship with algae-like unicellular flagellate protozoa that are photosynthetic and live within their tissues.
Coral bleaching happens because of stress caused by a number of factors, including climate- change effects, such as increase in ocean temperature, sea-level rise or ocean acidification.
Corals are important habitat-forming marine species. They serve as breeding grounds of fish and serves as nursery for small fish. Corals can die if it fails to recover from extensive damage caused by bleaching.
Lim said coral bleaching in Honda Bay could also be an effect of the disturbance in the marine ecosystem, such as significant loss of the all-important parrotfish in the area.
Parrotfish are voracious herbivores that eat the algae off of coral reefs with their beak-like teeth.
“This could be because of overfishing or destructive fishing methods in the area. There are important fish species that help coral remain healthy,” she said.
Lim said the corals may still recover, depending on the extent of the damage.
According to Lim, biodiversity is important in strengthening the resilience of an ecosystem to climate change.
“If there are illegal fishing activities, such as dynamite or cyanide fishing, we need to stop it. Rehabilitation will depend on the cooperation of the LGUs, private sector and community. If they will not cooperate, the entire ecosystem in Honda Bay will be lost,” she said.
According to Lim, there is a need to conduct a more thorough assessment in Honda Bay, as well as the diversity of fish and other marine life in the area.
She said the assessment should identify what are the factors that led to the bleaching of corals.
“If there are developments in Honda Bay that caused the bleaching, we must stop it. Rehabilitating corals will take time, but if all human-induced events are stopped, such as in Tubbataha, we can see signs of recovery in just a year,” she said.
Snake Island is being developed by the DENR for several years now. As early as 1991, the DENR has introduced developments projects in the area.
It sits at the heart of Honda Bay, which means “deep bay” in Spanish. It is situated on the eastern shore of the island of Palawan near Puerto Princesa City.
The bay is used for both subsistence and commercial fishing, as well as recreation, being a major tourist destination in Palawan.
In 2002 the DENR constructed an Offshore Monitoring Station and medium-sized structures in the area.
Environment Secretary Ramon JP Paje, signed DAO 2011-12 on November 3, 2011, which established Snake Island as the DENR’s national coastal and marine center for research. Snake Island was converted from an ecotourism destination to research center.
An initial amount of P3 million was authorized for immediate release by the DENR chief for the renovation and enhancement of the facility in Snake Island.
The initial fund was augmented by another P5 million to cover the salaries and wages of six laborers specifically tasked to guard the island, maintain its cleanliness, and effectively implement the closure order to any tourism activity in the island.
The Snake Island now has at least 17 hectares of mangrove area composed of nine species.
The center of the widest portion of the island is extensively planted with mangrove trees. The cross section of which measures approximately 700 meters from west to east and is submerged in water, forming a chest-deep lagoon during high tide.
Around the island, various species of caesionid (dalagang bukid) and jacks (talakitok), are very common near the surface and at middle of the water column, while different sizes of fish such as groupers (lapu-lapu), acanthurids (labahita), siganids (danggit) and damsel fish (palata) are observed near the sea bottom.
The DENR-BMB was given a budget of P500 million this year to jumpstart a national program to rehabilitate damaged corals in various parts of the country.
Image credits: DENR-BMB Photo