A representative from the Department of National Defense (DND) will have a seat in the soon-to-be-formed Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) for the portion of the Philippine Rise that is now a marine protected area (MPA).
Crisanta Marlene Rodriguez of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) told the BusinessMirror that the agency will immediately work for the creation of the PAMB that will craft a Protected Area Management Plan for the portion of the Philippine Rise.
Rodriguez, Director of the DENR’s Biodiversity Management Bureau, explained that portion is now a Protected Area by virtue of a Presidential Proclamation signed by President Duterte while on board the BRP Davao del Sur off the coasts of Aurora province on Tuesday.
The Presidential Proclamation declares as a no-take zone the 17,000-hectare Benham Bank, the shallowest portion of the underwater plateau. Another 300,000 hectares is also now a fisheries-management area where fishing activities will be highly regulated.
Being a Protected Area under Republic Act 7586 (National Integrated Protected Areas System, or Nipas Act), the Philippine Rise MPA will undergo a “stronger management regime.”
“Because of the geographical location and security requirement involved, we will need the DND as a member of PAMB,” Rodriguez said. She added the DENR will immediately initiate “inception meetings” to formalize the creation of the PAMB for the Philippine Rise MPA.
PAMB
THE PAMB is the highest policy-making body of a protected area.
A PAMB is, under normal circumstances, composed of the DENR and other government agencies like the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Tourism and National Commission on Indigenous People, concerned local government units, academe, people’s organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and representatives of academe or community organization.
In the case of the Philippine Rise, Rodriguez said the membership of the DND or any of the concerned Armed Forces of the Philippines unit is necessary. It takes a Philippine Navy ship to ensure safe passage to the Philippine Rise every time there is a scheduled scientific expedition.
According to Rodriguez, the DENR will also move for the crafting of a management plant that will involve various stakeholders, including the scientific community, and other development partners, such as NGOs and people’s organizations.
Lauded
THE ocean-conservation advocacy group Oceana Philippines lauded the proclamation of the Philippine Rise MPA, the country’s newest territory 250 kilometers off Aurora province.
There are reports that foreign fishing vessels have been sighted to catch commercially viable fish like tuna in the Philippine Rise.
Declaring portions of the Philippine Rise as an MPA, which designates a certain area strictly as a no-take zone and another area as a fisheries-management area, is a big boost to the protection and conservation of the ocean and the country’s seafood security in the face of climate change and the impact of overfishing, Oceana Philippines said in a statement.
“This is a remarkable event, especially for the protection of our oceans and ensuring seafood security for future generations, amid the growing threats of climate change and overfishing,” Marianne Pan Saniano, a marine scientist for Oceana Philippines, was quoted in the statement as saying.
Saniano said that the protection of the Philippine Rise was achieved through the pooled efforts of government agencies and advocates, who supported the urgent call to protect the Philippine Rise and especially declare the Benham Bank as a strict protection zone.
“When we went to Benham Bank in 2016 with our government scientists, navy and coast guards, we saw terraces of corals, as far as the eye could see,” Saniano said. “We still have such a vast and pristine coral-reef ecosystem within the Philippine territory, which we still need to protect.”
Spawn
IN 2016 government scientists reported 100-percent coral cover in several sampling sites during an expedition in Benham Bank and documented diverse species of reef fishes. Scientists said that the Philippine Rise is also the spawning site of the Pacific Bluefin tuna, one of the most expensive fish in the world.
Lawyer Gloria E. Ramos, Vice President of Oceana in the Philippines, commended Duterte and the government officials and partners from the civil society and private sectors who worked tirelessly to protect the Philippine Rise.
“The presidential proclamation is much awaited, as it paves the way for the conservation, management and protection of corals, fisheries and the rich biodiversity in the iconic place. It is now subject to the governance structure and requirements under the [Nipas],” Ramos said. “This is much needed to protect fragile marine habitats, address food security and increase the resiliency of our marine ecosystems to the impacts of climate change.”
She emphasized that the proclamation is a highly significant event, as 2018 is the International Year of the Reef, and the month of May, the Month of the Ocean.