The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is not only recommending a total closure of Boracay for up to one year; it also wants certain areas on the island to be declared as “critical habitat,” which means possible government takeover or prohibition of big development projects in affected private properties.
This was the recommendation of a team of experts sent by Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu to Boracay to save its rich biodiversity.
Director Theresa Mundita S. Lim of the DENR’s Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) said the recommendation was made by the team following a weeklong biodiversity assessment in various locations on the island.
In a telephone interview with the BusinessMirror, Lim said declaring these areas as critical habitats will strengthen protection measures that will ensure the survival of important plant and animal species.
Once declared a critical habitat, under the law, Lim added that protection will require or involve not only the DENR and local government units (LGUs), but all stakeholders, whether the land is privately owned or not.
“We have already submitted our recommendation. It is up to the secretary now whether to approve it and declare the areas as critical habitat,” Lim said.
Recommended to be declared or designated as critical habitat under Republic Act (RA) 9147, or the Wildlife Resources Protection and Conservation Act, or simply Wildlife Act, are all the remaining limestone forests on the island, the Puka Shell Beach, all bat-roosting sites and one of four existing wetlands on the island.
The declaration or designation of a critical habitat is in the form of a Department Administrative Order.
Under Section 25 of RA 9147, the secretary of the DENR shall designate critical areas outside protected areas under RA 7586, where threatened species are found.
“Such designation shall be made on the basis of the best scientific data, taking into consideration species endemicity and/or richness, the presence of man-made pressure/threats to the survival of wildlife in the area…” it says.
Furthermore, the law states that “all designated, critical habitats shall be protected, in coordination with the LGUs and other concerned groups, from any form of exploitation or destruction, which may be detrimental to the survival of the threatened species therein.”
The law also allows the environment secretary to acquire, by purchase, donation or expropriation, lands of interests therein, including the acquisition of usufruct, the establishment of an easement or other undertakings appropriate in protecting the critical habitat.
According to Lim, once declared as a critical habitat, major development projects will be prohibited by law.
The remaining limestone forest on the island, according to Lim, needs to be protected because of its uniqueness.
The remaining forests over limestone, beach forests and mangroves on Boracay are uniquely distributed across the island in barangays Yapak, Balabag and Manoc-Manoc.
The largest remaining patch of limestone forest is found in the northern section of the island in Barangay Yapak. It represents the largest remaining limestone forest in the Negros-Panay Faunal region.
In Barangay Manoc-Manoc, on the eastern side of the island, a huge concentration of mangrove belonging to four different species can be found.
Sonneratia alba, or perepat or mangrove apple, the most adapted mangrove species on the island based on its distribution in the mangrove forest, is the dominant species on the island.
The declaration of the limestone forests on Boracay will cover some of the caves on the island, which are unique ecosystems and home to a variety of wildlife, including insect bats.
Another area recommended for designation as a critical habitat is the Puka Shell Beach. The Puka Shell Beach is known to host a number of marine turtle species, especially the green turtles, which is listed as “critically endangered.”
The Philippines—specifically Boracay—has a variety of puka shell species that can be found in one specific beach, hence the name Puka Shell Beach.
While Boracay is known for its white-sand beaches and pristine waters, the Puka Shell Beach is unique because of its finer grains of white sand.
“Puka shells and fragments of puka shells make up substantially the sands in Puka Beach and [are] responsible for insulating the sand. That is why, even when it is hot in other areas, the sand on Puka Beach is colder,” Lim said in a previous interview.
Also recommended to be designated as critical habitat are forests where the flying foxes or fruit bats are known to thrive. The fruit bats play an important role in the natural regeneration of forests, as they feed and leave feces that include seeds of the fruits they eat.
According to Lim, declaring certain areas on the island as critical habitats will be imperative to help save not only the biodiversity of Boracay but also nearby areas, including the mainland Malay town, the entire province and the rest of Panay Island.
Image credits: Faye Pablo