National Geographic to look for rare marine species in RP

National Geographic is set to arrive in the country before the end of this year to conduct a "deep sea research" in the Philippines to discover marine species that they believe can only be found here, US Ambassador Kristie Kenney revealed over the weekend.

Kenney said plans for the visit of National Geographic to the country are almost settled and they are only finalizing the exact date for the arrival of one of the world’s largest non-profit educational and scientific organizations.

Kenney said National Geographic may arrive "sometime in September or October" for the research project in partnership with the US and Philippine governments.

"They’re going to be doing deep sea research on the sea species that they believe (could) be found only here in the Philippines and nowhere else in the world," Kenney told reporters on the sidelines of the Earth Day celebrations at Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City the other day.

"They’re going to do a special feature in their magazines and it’s a great way of calling attention to the extraordinary diversity in the Philippines and of course allowing us to think about how to continue to protect that," she also said.

National Geographic’s conduct of a "deep sea research" is among several initiatives that the US government is doing in the Philippines, as it recognizes the need to preserve the environment of the country, regarded as one of two countries in the world that is mega diverse yet a biodiversity hotspot.

The US government is among the largest foreign-grant donors for the environment in the Philippines. It has provided nearly $10 million in grant-funding each year to support initiatives for environment protection in the country.

The US government’s environmental programs in the Philippines that are being carried out in partnership with private companies include coral reef protection, preservation of whale sharks, anti-illegal fishing campaign, wastewater treatment, promotion of renewable energy such as solar power, and opportunities for eco-tourism jobs.

Aside from environment projects, the US government also brings into the country volunteers for environment work.

"I am very delighted in celebrating (Earth Day) here in the Philippines. I have been here for a year now and we had a great opportunity to (see) the natural resources, so we got to preserve it," Kenney said.

According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the country is one of the two countries in the world, aside from Madagascar, considered as the world’s "mega-diversity country and biodiversity hotspot," which refers to areas that have a high diversity of plants and animals which are endemic, but at the same time face serious pressures or threats of species loss and habitat destruction.

On a per hectare basis, the DENR said the Philippines ranks in the top 18 mega-diversity countries in terms of biological richness, with its more than 52,177 described species, more than half of which are found nowhere else in the world.

Together, the DENR also said, these 18 mega-diversity countries contain between 70 and 89 percent of global biodiversity, and thus form an integral part of the global heritage of diversity of life on earth.

Citing the 2000 Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), 418 of the country’s 52,177 species were listed as threatened.

"The country is home to about 9,000 species of flora, a third of which is said to be endemic to the country. It hosts 165 species of mammals, 121 of which can be found only in this part of the world. Unfortunately, it is also among the top 25 biodiversity hotspots in the world," the DENR pointed out.

Marine biologist Dr. Kent Carpenter, coordinator of the Global Marine Species Assessment of the World Conservation Union and fellow researcher Dr. Victor Springer of the Smithsonian Institute completed recently their 3-year study called "The Center of the Center of Marine Shorefish Biodiversity: The Philippine Islands."

According to the scientists, the Verde Island Passage Marine Corridor, located between Batangas and Mindoro Island, has been found to have 1,736 overlapping marine species over a 10-kilometer by 10-kilometer area, which is considered as "the highest concentration of marine life in the world."

The Washington D.C.-based National Geographic, meanwhile, is a non-profit educational and scientific organization, which interests include geography and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical conservation, and the study of world culture and history, according to Wikipedia.

Its historical mission is "to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge while promoting the conservation of the world’s cultural, historical, and natural resources," as its purpose is "to inspire people to care about their planet."

Internet information also said that the National Geographic is governed by a twenty-three member Board of Trustees composed of a group of distinguished educators, businesspeople, scientists, former governmental officials, and conservationists.

The organization sponsors and funds scientific research and exploration; and publishes an official journal, National Geographic Magazine, and other magazines, books, school products, maps, other publications, web and film products in numerous languages and countries around the world.