Biodiversity protection is everything

ATTY. GLORIA ESTENZO RAMOS

The Philippines is the center of the center of marine biodiversity in the entire world.

Sitting at the apex of the Coral Triangle countries, which host two thirds of the richest coral reef ecosystems, is a clear recognition of our very important role in its protection. More than 100 million people in these six countries covering an area of 6 million square kilometers depend on these coral reef diversity and the interconnected ecosystems for their livelihoods.

Unfortunately, leaders and citizens alike still do not know and therefore, do not appreciate, what biodiversity means and its significance. Ignorance and greed breed disaster both to Nature and to the people.

“The variety of life on Earth, its biological diversity, is commonly referred to as biodiversity. Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important role to play.”

It is unfortunate that in a reported recent gathering, Cebuano congressional representatives openly bat for the lifting of the status of Bantayan Island as a wilderness area. It is not even known if key stakeholders were consulted, or, assessment of the status of the fisheries and the biological diversity in the area conducted.

Are the local government units and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, as duty-holders, and other national agencies performing their mandates of protecting the environment including setting up a management body and crafting the required General Management Plan in the protected area? Or, did some look the other way when illegal fishing happens in the municipal waters or mangroves being destroyed?

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Senator Cynthia Villar, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Environment and the Committee on Agriculture, clearly understands the value of biodiversity and how indispensable it is to maintain its richness and health for the present and future generations. She exhorted all of us to “vigilantly protect our country’s rich biodiversity, which is a source of pride and joy for all of us Filipinos. We have to ensure that the future generation of Filipinos will also have the opportunity to take pride and find joy in our country’s rich biodiversity.”

Recently, in Lipayran, Bantayan, two hundred forty nine pieces of home-made dynamite (ANFO) including an assortment of blasting caps, nitrates and firearms, were confiscated on October 4, 2018 in a raid by joint enforcement operations, through a court-issued search warrant.

Congratulations to all enforcement agencies who made this joint operations a success: Bantayan Police Station, Provincial Mobile, San Remegio Bantay Dagat, 47th Infantry Battalion CAA E COY, PCG and PENRO Cebu (Provincial Government).

As Marlito Guidote, who knows enforcement by heart, said, “This is another significant contribution in the protection of Visayan Sea and Tanon Strait.”

According to Mr. Guidote, “All it takes is an ammonium nitrate, a petroleum product, blasting cap, candle and some nitric acid to make an Ammonium Nitrate /Fuel Oil (ANFO) from fertilizer. Unfortunately, all of them are available in the market hence making homemade dynamite a lot easier. The potency of the nitrate increases as heat energy is mixed into it so they are cooked with petroleum prior to actual use. This increases the combustion reaction and become more water resistant.”

Despite regulation, dynamite fishing continues its path of destroying biodiversity and livelihoods and people. Protected areas are not even exempt.
Sir David Attenborough wisely stated, “No one will protect what they don’t care about; and no one will care about what they have never experienced.”