Coral destruction puts food supply at risk

CEBU, Philippines - The continued destruction of coral reefs in the country is putting the country’s food supply at risk, this according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

DENR estimates that 80 percent of the animal protein requirement of Filipinos comes from the seas and such destruction radically depletes the food supply.

Senator Loren Legarda revealed this environmental threat as efforts are underway to rehabilitate the country’s coral reefs which are being spearheaded by the Department of Science and Technology dubbed as the Filipinnovation on Coral Restoration Program.

The said program will not only restore the beauty of the reefs and rehabilitate life but will also improve the competitiveness of the tourism industry through a public-private-academe partnership.

Legarda, in a press statement furnished to The FREEMAN, said that the program gained milestones in both the asexual and sexual reproduction of corals, setting up pilot areas in several locations across the country where coral beds are being rehabilitated.

The senator said coral rehabilitation would actually be the best poverty-alleviation measure which will supply food for almost 100 million Filipinos.

Legarda, chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Climate Change, said that the study by the World Resources Institute, Reefs at Risk, showed that 85 percent of the reefs in the Coral Triangle, which covers six countries including the Philippines, are in danger.

“Many may not be aware of the importance of corals in our existence and the direct effect of coral reef degradation in our daily lives and so we have to educate our people. Beyond aesthetics, corals serve a greater purpose in our marine ecosystems, because without them, marine species would practically be homeless,” Legarda explained.

She added that reefs are complex ecosystems that are vital to the continuity of life in the sea as these protect coastlines from wave and storm erosion and function as nurseries and habitats for thousands of marine species.

It is estimated that one square kilometer of healthy coral reef can support as much as 35 metric tons of live fish.  (FREEMAN)