THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) recently launched Maggie, a mascot flagship species of the Masinloc-Oyon Bay Protected Landscape and Seascape (MOBPLS), as it vowed to intensify the protection of the region’s coastal and marine resources, particularly in the town of Masinloc, Zambales province.
Maggie’s first public appearance was during the September 22 simultaneous International Coastal Cleanup activity spearheaded by the DENR Region 3 (Central Luzon), particularly in the coastal areas of Zambales province.
The launching of the mascot flagship species signals the intensified campaign on the protection and conservation of marine resources in the more than 7,000-hectare Masinloc-Oyon Bay MPA, an initiative under the Costal and Marine Ecosystem Management Program (CMEMP).
Arthur Salazar, deputy director for Technical Services of DENR Central Luzon, said in a statement that mascot Maggie symbolizes the blue-spotted rabbitfish (scientific name Siganus corallinus), which is now threatened in the MOBPLS.
Salazar explained that Maggie was named after the pristine Magalawa Island in Zambales. He added fishing for this flagship species is now being regulated by the local government unit because of its declining population.
He said that local communities chose the blue-spotted rabbitfish as flagship species because of its economic and ecological importance, being a major food source and livelihood for the fisherfolk in the area.
“We have to protect and save our fish resources and other marine life because they are an important part of our ecosystem and a source of food to the increasing coastal population,” Salazar pointed out.
According to Minerva Martinez, chief of the conservation division, Maggie is a symbol to bring public awareness on the protection and conservation of coastal and marine resources and to bring unity of purpose in protecting the Masinloc-Oyon Bay.
“Maggie is not just a mascot but is meant to remind us that each of our actions, whether big or small, has an impact on other living creatures. Caring for our oceans and waterways not only benefits us but [also] a myriad of other living creatures,” she explained.
The Masinloc-Oyon Bay Protected Landscape and Seascape were declared a protected area by virtue of the newly legislated Republic Act 11038 or the E-Nipas Act, together with 31 other marine-protected areas in the Philippines. This ensures that the over 7,000-hectare area in Zambales will be protected to maintain its natural conditions to the greatest extent possible.
CMEMP aims to comprehensively manage, address and effectively reduce the drivers and threats of degradation of the coastal and marine ecosystem in order to achieve and promote sustainability of ecosystem services, food security and climate-change resiliency for the benefit of the present and future generations.
According to a recent study, the Philippines’s coastal and marine resources have a value of over P24 billion but support fisheries worth P125 billion annually. It has been estimated that the total potential and sustainable economic net benefits from coral reefs in the nation is worth P55 billion annually, the study added.
“CMEMP will effectively not just aim to protect the MOBPLS, nor will it be limited to Central Luzon’s 803 kilometers of coastline. Rather, it aims to create a network of the various protected areas of the Philippines, thereby strengthening our capability in caring for them.”
Salazar said.
DENR reports state that the program is anchored in six approaches, including integrated coastal management and valuation of ecosystem services.