After learning that the Philippines is the global epicenter of marine biodiversity in the planet in a symposium, I had a sudden feeling of excitement, of pride for this country. The symposium entitled “Scientific Discovery and the Urgent Need for Conservation at the Philippine Epicenter of Marine Biodiversity” was a real eye opener and put Philippines back on the map as a place of interest on marine biosystems research.

But what makes for a regal distinction is a lamentable fact that we are in an almost-losing side of the battle towards conserving what seems to be the last bastion or fountain source for global marine life where all other communities of sea species originate or depend on for continued existence.

What does that mean exactly for us, for ordinary Filipino and policy makers, for all those who directly and indirectly manage and exploit our marine resources? Let’s go hands on and take a closer look.

Hypothesis on why the Philippines has a uniquely rich marine resources

The talk is lead by the renowned Dr. Kent Carpenter of the University of Hawaii. Dr. Carpenter’s bulk of work centers on marine evolution, systematics as well as the science of marine conservation.

Dr. Carpenter is one of the many scientists at the helm of a couple of research on the unique marine species found in the Philippines and how these species interact in and around the waters of the country including their migration habit. His fellow scientists made research on both the species that normally find their way on our table and those that aren’t. A total of six years of meticulous research since 2004 lead to the conclusion that the Philippines was indeed the global epicenter for marine biodiversity.

The Coral Triangle, the geographical area which consist the marine waters of Asian countries namely Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands, and the Philippines, is the center of interest among marine biologists and researchers. The comparative studies done in this area reveals a startling discovery as to the uniqueness and richness of marine species found in the Philippine coastal regions.

Other interesting aspects are the giant clams found in coral reefs along with the species of fishes that grow and travel to other parts of the coral triangle defining what seems to be the marine “signature” of the region, serving as markers to the behavior of fishes traveling in and out of Philippine waters.

The Philippines as the center of “evolution” among marine species in the Coral Triangle

Dr. Carpenter hypothesized as to what may have caused this overwhelmingly diverse marine resources of the Philippines, his list includes genetics, area of refuge (availability of habitat), and origin (where marine species evolve). The latter hypothesis point to the fact that the Philippine marine waters serve as a breeding ground for many marine species before setting themselves to other places in the Coral Triangle region. Another interesting fact is the maintenance of unique marine species in certain areas of Philippine waters due to water currents, or gyres, which prevent fishes and reef-building corals from traveling to other places.

Dr. Carpenter also noted that the Philippines has a significant coastline length with more marine species per unit area than any other place on earth capable of supporting an ideal environment for a vast marine refuge.

There should be a huge political interest with this discovery because the destruction or even a slight disturbance to equilibrium in the Philippine marine life would have a huge impact on fishes and other forms of life in the nearby oceans and seas. Being the place where marine species potentially evolve, what happens when the threat to vulnerable aquatic species continues?

Multilevel approach to remedy marine life destruction

The destruction of local marine biosystems is largely brought about by the deleterious fishing activities and the way we harness the resources around us such the ones we find upland. To rule that sea life is insusceptible and totally disconnected to poor land use is an outright disregard to the interconnectedness of the earth’s levy of flora and fauna.

With many local fishermen involved in illegal fishing activities and conniving with unconscientious poachers, you may find it easy to come down on them. But this harsh reality is an opportunity for us and the government to device plans of action to reverse this growing rape to our seas, protect, and bring it back to life.

People in the coastal communities are the ones with direct access to the vast resources of seas. Today more than ever, they they’re the ones who need information on the adverse effects of disturbing the balance of our seas through inappropriate fishing or over-consumption of its limited resources. Policing could be a reflex approach to it but policy makers would have to look at and consider a multilevel approach to supporting local communities by means of education, financial support, health care for them and their families, making funding available to provide the newest fishing methods, technology and resources to sustainably manage our ocean reserve. By doing this we empower them to protect the sea around them and make every effort to keep it from those who want to exploit it for personal gain. With that, they themselves will become the local police to that region.

Poverty and Greed

Over-exploitation is motivated both by poverty and greed where the former affects coastal community settlers and the latter personified by unscrupulous businessmen. We can’t protect anyone or anything if we our weak. Communities living the coastal region are weak because they are poor and the instinct to survival is the consumption of any resources available at your disposal which is in this case the sea.

We have the responsibility to protect the weak. The real test to nationhood is cooperation, moral co-existence, social justice. It can’t be any clearer than that.

How wonderful to think the Philippines is home to vast aquatic species which chose it to be their breeding grounds before they set their fins to distant seas. But its quite frustrating at the same time to realize that little effort is done to protect it. Its not yet too late to do the first step to protecting our seas and thwart the adversity that endangers their existence. Pledge to support Save Philippine Seas today and be part of the effort in safeguarding and conserving our diverse marine life.

“ I pledge to pick up litter.”
“ I pledge to recycle. ”
“ I pledge to tweet everyday about #reefwatchpH ”
“ I pledge to bring reusable canvass bags when I go shopping and limit my use of plastic bags”

Vibrant corals shelter exotic tropical fish in the waters of the Philippines

SEVEN THOUSAND PLEDGES FOR A BETTER TOMORROW: That is the goal of projectseventhousand.org, an advocacy launched on June 15, 2011 in Ocean Park. The project is an initiative of Save Palawan Seas Foundation (SPSF) and is powered by Yehey! Digital Corporation. Anna Oposa and myself delivered a few remarks on the protection of our environment and experience in Palawan. The trip to a Pearl Farm in Palawan in March this year inspired me so much to be an “environmentalist”. I was aware of protecting the environment but living in the city alienated me from the marine life for many years.

The exposure to the rich marine life that reside in the waters of Palawan made me appreciate our coral reefs. Without this knowledge, I would have ignored that tweet reporting the wholesale distribution of our corals. I would not have tagged young environmentalist blogger , Anna Oposa to help out with the investigation of this plunder. Just one tweet, passed on, connecting to someone, created action.

Project 7000 welcome page

The Project 7000 is timely due to the revelation of extensive coral poaching that caused a senate investigation of the plunder of our marine life .Social media helped create a small buzz last April before traditional media picked the story up. Just one small voice can cause a ripple to create change.

Schools of fish swim freely in the pristine waters of Palawan, testament to the rich marine life that reside in the waters surrounding the Philippines

“We can do virtually anything online nowadays so why not create positive change in the fight to save the planet?” said Mia Macapagal, project manager of www.projectseventhousand.org. “We believe that environmental stewardship is the responsibility of all and we want to get the message out there in a fun, interactive way.”

“By realizing that each individual can affect the environment the most, we believe that it is everybody’s duty to give back and to stand at the front lines of this initiative,” said YEHEY! General Manager Jay Arellano. “It is with this ideal in mind that we decided to use digital media to collectively enable everyone to deliver the message of Environmental Stewardship to others– children, adults, professionals.”

Conceived as an interactive, social networking site, www.projectseventhousand.org engages everyone to do their part in helping the planet through three simple steps: make pledge an act for the environment , commit to it, and invite friends and family to do the same.

We know we can make a positive difference in the environment before it is too late. One does not need to do big things to save the world but with joint effort of committed group of citizens, it is possible to cause positive change.

SPSF was founded by pearl farmers Manuel Cojuangco and Jacques Branellec. As pearl farmers passionate about their craft, they also have reverence to the environment around them. Each pearl records the environmental trends and changes over the time it grows in the womb of its mother oyster. Oysters are thus the indicators of a healthy environment and the South Sea Pearl is the testament of pristine conditions. Hence the South Sea Pearl has been proclaimed in 1996 as the Philippine National Gem, a natural symbol of environmental stewardship.

Their commitment to the pearl and the environment inspired the partners to start SPSF. The Save the Palawan Seas Foundation (SPSF) is a non-profit organization, which aims to provide alternative sources of income in coastal communities, through which people could earn money without hurting the environment. Providing communities with an alternative source of income through organic farming, crafts and seaweed farming will also allow the communities to nurture their environment. The foundation also hoped to help formulate long-term conservation and management strategies for the province’s marine resources, so as to ensure a better life for everyone who depended on the sea to survive.

One Mission. One Planet. Change for the future begins with seven thousand.

Make a pledge at Project 7000. Please join me as we make a pledge to protect our environment. It starts with a single pledge that is lived and shared with others to create a change for a promising future. Our journey begins now.

Photos of the corals, school of fish by Scott “Gutsy” Tuason. Some rights reserved.

Remember my May 31 article on Manny Pacquiao alleged Boracay West Cove lounge sits on top of Cemented age old rock formation?

GOOD NEWS! The Malay Mayor John Yap, town officials and members of the Boracay Special Tourist Police Office ordered the Boracay West Cove closed.

The municipal government of Malay in Aklan on Friday ordered closed a resort in Boracay that has become controversial due to rumors that boxing champion Manny Pacquiao partly owns it and protests over its location in what authorities said was a no-build zone.

I thought no one would notice this abomination (see photos) and violation but thank goodness, the new Mayor of Malay, Aklan took action. The resort reeked with controversy from the start and I am surprised the construction was even allowed to continue on. It also violated the coastline shoreline setback required by law (see page 27) ?

Malay Mayor John Yap, town officials and members of the Boracay Special Tourist Police Office ordered the Boracay West Cove resort to immediately stop its operations for lack of business, building and occupancy permits.

The mayor directed the resort management not to accept new guests after those billeted at the resort have checked out. The officials also warned the resort management that the structures will be padlocked if the closure order is defied.

West Cove owner businessman Crisostomo Aquino said the closure order violated the Forest Land Use Agreement for Tourism Purposes (FLAgT) issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to his resort.

A FLAgT, under the DENR Administrative Order No. 2004-59, allows the temporary use, occupation and development of any forest land for tourism purposes for a period of 25 years renewable for another 25 years.

FLAgT agreement covers forest lands to be used for bathing, campsites, ecotourism destinations, hotel sites and other tourism purposes.

The resort has villas, hugs a cliff and sits on a rock formation at Diniwid Beach in Barangay Yapak, an isolated area on the northern tip of the 1,032-hectare island. It is not visible from tourists and residents at the white beach, whose main entry point is the Cagban port at the opposite end of the island.

I hope the resort will be closed and destroyed then I would want to see concrete action to fix or restore the damage done to the rocks and the coastline.

From this beautiful rock formation:

Before rock formation was cemented. Photo via pep.ph

During construction in 2008. Photo Via Katrina Ludwig in Flickr

Destroy this abomination

After cementing the beautiful rock formation

The resort also seems to violate the coastline shoreline setback

Philippine Law on Shorelines

A homage on the occasion of World Ocean Day. Millions of years ago life sprang out of the oceans, let us do all that we can to make sure that the oceans continue to live and we along with it. Save Our Seas!

The Blue
© Moira G. Gallaga

A child bobs and weaves in the swell of the powerfully gentle ocean.
The spray wets his face and the smell fills his senses.
Peace, tranquillity, beauty – this is my favourite memory.

Mother Earth’s blue blood wraps her shores in mighty oceans and beautiful seas,
Bringing life
and sustenance
and travel
and trade
and security
and serenity to all who walk her lands.
A complex web of life untangles effortlessly in a grand design surpassing any human mind.

Ancient pioneers sailed her endless seas to find distant lands,
They lived
and thrived
and learned
and developed
and respected the genius of her biodiversity.
A mutually beneficial symbiosis respected a grand design surpassing any human mind.

Then we grew and grew and forgot what we knew
and fished and ate
and pillaged the oceans which asphyxiate
as our devastation began to accelerate
and generation by generation we underestimate
the slow inexorable truth of how we untangle a grand design surpassing any human mind.

Sustainable fishing, educated waste management, respect for her trade routes, cleaning her shores, fighting endless carbon emissions and global warming, respect for the delicate balance of marine life… grand ideas surpassing any human mind?

A child bobs and weaves in the swell of the powerfully gentle ocean.
The spray wets his face and the smell fills his senses.
Peace, tranquillity, beauty – is this is an extinct memory?

No! No! No! Run through the streets and shout it from rooftops!
For a new generation is born!

Mother Earth is forgiving and loving and able to regenerate,
She smiles as a new generation spreads the word…
A simple word
And action
And respect
And love
And a global effort that will breathe new life into our mighty oceans and revive a complex web of life that untangles effortlessly in a grand design surpassing any human mind.

Every day is World Ocean Day.©

It has been nothing but an uphill battle since the all out media coverage on The Plunder of our Marine Life. Anna Oposa delivered a letter this morning at the Senate Hearing on the investigation of coral poaching. Anna submitted a list of recommendations for the amendment and enforcement of our environmental laws, as well as a copy of companies that are allegedly selling corals, sand, shells, and other marine species from the Philippines.

On June 1, Anna delivered her speech at the Senate hearing entitled, Saving the Philippines Seas: An Intergenerational Responsibility. Highlights of her speech included the useless replies of the DENR, BFAR when Anna communicated with them a month before and recommendations.

1. Before the Senate creates new laws, we fervently request you to review and revise our existing ones. We urge the Senate to add a provision regulating the collection and exportation of seashells. As of now, there are no laws that protect non-endangered shells.

2. The rape of our rich marine resources is not just of national concern, but INTERNATIONAL concern because of its global significance.

3. My generation and the generations yet unborn have a right to inherit a country that has sustained your generation. It must continue to do so.

Photo via Anna Oposa

Anna Oposa Letter of Recommendation

Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri
Chair Committee
Environment and Natural Resources
Senate of the Philippines

Hon. Ramon Paje Secretary Department of Environment and Natural Resources

Atty. Asis Perez
Director Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources

Atty. Benjo Tabios
Assistant Director Bureau of Fisheries and Acquatic Resources

Ms. Teresita Mundita Lim
Director Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau

Dear Sirs and Madame:

The BFAR Regulatory and Quarantine Office, together with Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), DENR-PAWB, DENR-Mines and Geocities Bureau (MGB), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), and local government?s sanitation office and business permitting office, conduct inspections on shellcraft, handricraft, furnitures, sellers of stones/rocks business in Zamboanga City, Lapu- Lapu, Mandaue, Cebu City, Bacoor, Lipa City, Lucena City. It has been observed that:

a. Most of them employ children. These children have small hands, small fingers to handle shells. They are exposed to dosages of muriatic acid (used for shells to shine) and chlorine (used for coral bleaching). These are for the raw part. For the processing part, the young children are exposed to strong adhesives.

b. Most employ women, especially night operations.

c. Sub-contracts (normally out-sourced to neighbors) may not have
sanitation nor business permit and may not at all be paying correct taxes. Their commodities are often declared as something else.

d. Spurious or fake permits and licenses are used. At times, pebblepicking permits are used to collect corals. The corals are crushed, put in sacks, and passed on as rocks and pebbles. Outsourced warehouses may not even have permits at all.

Many of the aforementioned agencies, if not all agencies, have visitorial functions, as they are regulatory offices and, thus, may not need search warrants. They can be the revolving “lead agencies” depending on the objective of the inspection.

Furthermore, we would like to fervently request the amendment and revision of our environmental laws, with critical attention to the Fisheries Code (RA 8550) and the Wildlife Act (RA 9147). We would like to make the following recommendations:

a. The penalty for mere possession must not be in the same bracket as trading, exporting and transporting.

b. Clarify and further define what it means to “cause to catch” as found
in coral and shell prohibitions. We urge you to include “cause to be traded,” “cause to be transported,” and “cause to be exported” as punishable acts as well.

Thus, a person who placed the “order” will automatically be held liable.

c. More regulations on shell craft exporter businesses to include a separate clearance from the DENR-Protected Areas, Wildlife and Coastal
Zone Management Service prior to sealing, packing or freighting.

d. Not to monetize confiscated shells and corals as if they are timber. Shells and corals have different ecological functions and economic values.

e. Obligation on the part of the apprehended person to finance a marine
protected area amount equivalent to assessed value of the items seized. The assessment should not be based on market value, but potential value if they are alive (from tourism, fisheries etc. based on valuation formula of White and Trinidad, 1996).

f. Obligation on the part of apprehended person to finance the transport, storage and restoration/recolonization if corals.

g. Strict regulation of the collection and exportation of seashells. As of now, there are no laws that protect non-endangered shells.

We also ask the BFAR to update its list of “Rare, Threatened and Endangered Species.” The copy found online does not yet include species protected by local and international laws, such as whale sharks (protected by the Fisheries Administrative Order No. 193 and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) and hawksbill turtles.

Moreover, under the RA 9147, Sec. 18, “[t]he collection of certain species shall only be allowed when the results of the assessment show that, despite certain extent of collection, the population of such species can still remain viable and capable of recovering its numbers.” This suggests that the BFAR is supposed to release a list of species that traders are allowed to collect (with proper permits, of course) in addition to the list of species that traders are not allowed to collect. This list is nowhere to be found online. We would like to request a copy of it to be posted online for the public?s perusal—if such already exists.

Maraming salamat at mabuhay po kayong lahat.

Yours truly,
Ms. Anna R. Oposa
Project Officer Promotion of Environmental Law Enforcement and Compliance
The Law of Nature Foundation

Here are the list of companies that include Shell Horizons Inc. , Denis Brand , Top Sea Shells, Orcullo Enterprises
Chou Yong Shin Enterprises , Ningbo Honor Trade , The Shell Store 18, Aqua Marine Specimen Shells , Petra Aqua , Crystals, Rocks and Gems, Golden Specimen Shells , Shells @ GEM Science, De Donder Shells

List of Companies Selling Corals

Blog Action Day on June 8 for Philippine Corals and Waters! Join now.

June 8 is also World Ocean Day.

Via Team Manila

Headlines are screaming of the rape of our ocean. Social media is outraged. The time has come to turn this outrage into a positive resolution. A call of action has been made. Not only will there be an awareness campaign but specific actions undertaken to save Philippine seas and make persons or government accountable to this crime.

What can we all do or participate in ? Here are just a few action. We enjoin you to help think of solutions.

1. Blog Action Day on June 8 for Philippine Corals and Waters! Join now.

• Tweet, Plurk, or post to spread the word about this event: Share or repost this announcement.
• Use the Twitter hashtag #reefwatchPH.
• Spread the savephilippineseas.com URL.
• Repost and share our official campaign badge (to be posted soon so please come back!).
• Most importantly, on June 8, join the Blog Action Day from your favorite social media channels (blog, Tumblr, Posterous, Twitter, Plurk, Facebook, etc.

More information on Blog Action Day.

2. Let us know of biologists, divers interested to start restoration projects (You can contact us here- comment below)

3. Send contact details of media contacts and NGOs who are willing to help us with #reefwatchPH.

4. Even before Blog Action day, you can blog about it, spread the news to your colleagues, write to your representatives, media. Awareness is good. But Awareness + Action is much better.

5. Discourage demand for exotic decorative species and coral-accented jewelry and fashion accessories.

6. We’re building #reefwatchPH ‘s directory of supporters, resource persons. Please sign up here.

7. Know more about saving our Philippine seas. Visit savephilippineseas.com

Tweeps were busy finding ways to help out, and save our marine life.

Updated (June 12) – Ten days after posting these photos, the Town Mayor ordered Boracay West Cove closed.

Island hopping is just one of the popular activities in Boracay. My husband and I are right now in Boracay so just like any tourist as we cruised off the shores of Boracay in a local Bangka boat checking out beaches, snorkeling and just enjoying the rock formations, the corals under the clear pristine waters. Of course we wanted to see the whole island. Nestled near our hotel in Station 1 is Boracay West Cove. I cannot really spot it from my hotel. It “hugs the seaside mountain terrain of Boracay’s Diniwid beach area and is accessible only either through a tricycle ride from Boracay’s Stations 1, 2, and 3, or by boat. Clients are given free round-trip speedboat transfers to and from Caticlan Jetty Port.”

I read reports that Manny Pacquaio is just a co-owner of this beach resort. “Manny partnered with his friend, businessman Crisostomo “Cris” Aquino to purchase, in 2006, a cove in the seaside mountain terrain from a former developer.

My guide says it is Pacman’s Boracay Resort. I heard about this resort from locals and they are quite proud that Manny Pacquiao owns a resort in the island.

Well, well. I don ‘t know about you but I find the resort’s architecture is an abomination. It is so tacky and hideous and worst of all destroyed the ecological balance and natural beauty in that area. Never mind if the architecture is reminiscent of a Dr. Seus house. Perhaps I can even ignore that Manny Pacquiao is a co-owner.

From this beautiful rock formation:

Before rock formation was cemented. Photo via pep.ph

During construction in 2008. Photo Via Katrina Ludwig in Flickr

View a video taken in 2009 with natural rock formation

To this abomination:

After cementing the beautiful rock formation

What troubles me is someone just cemented over age-old rock formations of the island and turned it into a lounge. They call this abomination as the “Pacman rock”.

Have you heard of the three cemented rock formation? Most of the news on Boracay West Cove talks of a paradise experience. What paradise? It boasts of the age-old rock formation but is silent that cement completely covered the rock formation.

A poster with his photo in it is plastered in the middle of the Boracay West Cove. What does that say, Manny? Why allow this resort to cement on an age old rock formation for what? To lounge around and sip wine?

What happened to no build zone law?

A lot of controversy surrounded in the construction of this Boracay West Cove such as “the resort does not have a building permit, occupancy permit and business permit” and environmental clearance. I won’t be surprised if they constructed over a sea bed of corals.

News report showed “The resort also violates a municipal ordinance because it is located in a no-build-zone area.” So why was then Malay Mayor Ciceron Cawaling unable to stop the construction of the resort? Oh I forgot, he is facing graft charges “for his failure to control the construction frenzy on Boracay Island”.

Whatever happened to the coastline shoreline setback required by law (see page 27) ? And why was this resort exempted from the setback rule?

Destruction of natural beauty

The DENR has blamed the worsening environmental threats to development projects that have violated laws, policies and ordinances. It cited the building of resorts and tourism facilities along easement areas, hampering of public access, destruction of the natural beauty of the coasts, indiscriminate development of areas, illegal reclamation of wetlands and clearing of forested areas for building construction.

Rock formation is beautiful in its natural form. I cannot begin to imagine the damage to the sea bed and corals below those other structures just before the 3 cemented rock formations.

Is this so-called “Pacman rock” something to be proud of, Rep. Manny Pacquiao? My friend adds , “because this country and this planet is not over populated, then we can afford to destroy its natural beauty. Is that it, Congressman Pacquiao? ”

I believe we should never allow natural environment to be destroyed for selfish reasons. If one can destroy natural rock formation, corals may be next. No one is above the law. Not even a “hero”.

Philippine Law on Shorelines

Climate Change and Coral Reefs
Final Report , UP SURP Oct. 2009
Eli Siwa & Gabriel Lopez

There have been so many pictures on magazines and online blogs that show the world’s exotic and colorful coral reefs. It may have been the favorite subject of photo enthusiasts and divers. But these coral reefs are not just there for aesthetic pleasures or to showcase the beauty of aquatic life. They are, in fact, very important to both people and wildlife.

Called rainforests of the sea, these coral reefs are home to a quarter of all marine species, provide habitat and breeding ground for commercially important species, provide natural buffers to the coastlines from erosions, and contain the highest biodiversity of any marine ecosystem.

These coral reefs are what we may call as “canaries in a coal mine”—being early indicators of impact of climate change. Coral reefs are highly sensitive in water temperature, clarity, acidity, early indicators of impacts of climate change and human activities. They are vulnerable to coastal development, sediment run-off, water pollution, many fishing practices. In fact, significant increase in number of massive bleaching episodes since 1970s mean there exists increasingly warmer global temperatures.

These eco-systems of environmental and human value protect shores from the impact of waves and from storms, provide a lot of benefits to humans in the form of food and medicine, and provide economic benefits to local communities from tourism.

The term ‘coral reef’ applies to a diversity of structures that grow in a wide range of habitats from clean oceanic waters to areas close to continents, where the influence of land runoff can be considerable. The eventual shape and form of the reefs will depend on this ambient environment and the underlying base structure. Reefs predominantly grow over previous reefs, which were killed off during massive sea Ievel falls during ice ages. The stony corals and calcareous algae gradually build up the calcium carbonate framework until the reef reaches the sea surface, where atmospheric exposure limits further upward growth. Barrier reefs develop along the edge of continental shelves that are sufficiently remote from sediment input from the land to encourage vigorous coral growth. Usually behind these reefs are relatively deep water ways, referred to as lagoons. Good examples are the Great Barrier Reef and the barrier reefs of Belize and New Caledonia. These barrier reefs protect the adjacent shorelines from the impact of oceanic waves.

Continue reading below:

Coral Reefs and Climate Change v. 2

Coral Reefs and Climate Change

Photo: “Philippine Coral Reef 2” by JP, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved

Photo: “DSCF1736” by , c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved

Photo: “Philippine Coral Reef” by Kris Vera-Phillips, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved

Photo: “Aged turtle in Tubbataha ” by Jayvee Fernandez, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved

Photo: “PIC_0058” by Jayvee Fernandez, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved

It was just heart-breaking to see this stuffed turtle not to mention the devastation of an entire “reef complex”—almost twice as big as Manila—off the coast of Cotabato province when they harvested more than 21,000 pieces of black coral and killed 161 endangered turtles and other marine life, officials said Tuesday.

@louishguinez asks “Headlines screaming destruction of Coral Reef 2x the size of Manila! DENR, COast guard..who should we blame?”

Batman, who commented in the Inquirer feature story asks “ My BIG QUESTION is How come, making a harvest and RAPING a reef area of around 7,000 hectares has not been seen by the Navy, Coast Guard, local officials? This did not happen in one hour but in a prolonged period. Or, they simply chose to look the other way around. The people involved in protecting this area SHOULD also be included in the charge sheet for this illegal case — not only the traders and financiers of this heinous criminal project”

The “rape of our oceans” is just unbelievable and outrageous. I wrote more about this in “The Plunder of Philippine Marine Life” about the series of raids that happened in the recent weeks. It started with a tweet from @xxxriainxxx followed by blog entries from yours truly, @cocoy and @tonyocruz, then letters to government agencies by @annaoposa until something big had to explode on national news before DENR had to take action.

The outrage and action to stop the murder in the seas are shown in hashtag #reefwatchPH.

Look at the massive display of corals exported by Shell Horizons Florida Inc from The Philippines. Shell Horizons, Inc is located in Clearwater, Florida USA
and on the Islands of the Bahamas and Philippines. You mean they have an office here?

Their business goes completely against the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Corals are included

Roughly 5,000 species of animals and 28,000 species of plants are protected by CITES against over-exploitation through international trade. They are listed in the three CITES Appendices. The species are grouped in the Appendices according to how threatened they are by international trade. They include some whole groups, such as primates, cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises), sea turtles, parrots, corals, cacti and orchids. But in some cases only a subspecies or geographically separate population of a species

We have Philippine laws called PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 1219 or called “The Coral Resources Development and Conservation Decree.” I understand there is a special permit to only one person/corporation for a limited issue to conduct experimental collection of precious and semi-precious corals.

Shell Horizons Florida Inc. looks like a commercial firm.

Shell Horizons proudly shares that they were chosen to supply the finest quality sea shells for the President, the First Lady, and for our White House in 2007.

It appears to me they may have violated Section 5 of the law.

The gathering, harvesting, collecting, transporting, possession, sale and/or exporting of ordinary corals either in raw or processed form in any quantity, is prohibited. The use of corals as materials in buildings and other man-made structures, such as but not limited to piers, dams and dikes, is likewise prohibited.

Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources has jurisdiction and responsibility in the exploration, exploitation, utilization and conservation of coral resources. They need to check on this.

Corals found at Shell Horizon website

Commercial exploitation is a serious threat to the survival of our country’s reefs and the world, more than half of which are considered at risk because of human activities. A Florida Importer was already sentenced in Landmark Coral Smuggling Case

Leventis’ smuggling activities came to the government’s attention in July 1997 when a 40-foot shipping container loaded with some 400 boxes and packages of coral and sea shells arrived in Tampa. Special agents of the Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Customs Service then documented a six-year series of transactions involving protected corals and seashells between Leventis and Esther Flores, the owner of a Philippine seashell and souvenir exporting business.

In November 1998, Leventis and Flores were indicted on smuggling and wildlife charges. The Justice Department in February 1999 filed papers with the Philippines seeking the extradition of Flores.

Leventis’ Lacey Act and smuggling convictions were tied to the July 1997 shipment to Tampa, as well as an illegal 1993 coral importation.

Not only that, there are US laws to combat trafficking in illegal wildlife, fish and plants, specifically “The Lacey Act”, the oldest wildlife protection statute

How did Shell Horizons Florida Inc get away with this?

Save Philippine corals!

Read Cocoy’s article “Is US based Shell Horizons selling illegal Philippine Corals?” and Tonyo Cruz article.