EDITORIAL - Saving coral reefs

The accident over two weeks ago that led to the government slapping a fine on Greenpeace shows the difficulty of protecting coral reefs. The environmental group went to Palawan’s world-renowned Tubbataha Reef, a marine conservation site, to promote awareness on the protection of coral reefs. While there the group’s flagship, the Rainbow Warrior 11, ran aground and destroyed 1,700 square feet of precious corals. Greenpeace made a public apology to the country and "Mother Nature" and paid the P384,000 fine, but it was a small price to pay for corals that will not be fully replaced in the lifetime of all those on board the Rainbow Warrior II.

Greenpeace blamed faulty navigational guides provided by the government for the accident. The group, whose aggressive environmental advocacy has come under fire in several countries, did manage to show through the accident how fragile marine ecosystems are. Coral reefs serve as breeding grounds for marine life, and their destruction has been blamed for the steep decline in commercial fish catch around the world. Ironically, much of the destruction has been caused by those who depend on the sea for their livelihood. Dynamite fishing and other methods that destroy corals to flush out fish led to the alarming depletion of coral reefs.

Souvenir hunters and those who harvest corals for sale as decoration aggravated the problem. The depletion has been highest in coastal areas where poverty and illiteracy have led to a lack of awareness of the need to preserve coral reefs.

The Philippines, where biodiversity is one of the highest in the world, has an estimated 27,000 square kilometers of coral reefs. Protecting what’s left of the reefs will require the cooperation of many sectors. Some members of the tourism industry are doing their part by promoting eco-tourism, with fishing completely banned in reef areas. The conservation group Reef Check launched last weekend a program that will teach foreign visitors how to protect coral reefs. The national and local governments should do their part by promoting environmental awareness especially in coastal areas. If fishing communities understand that their livelihood depends on saving corals, we are bound to see significant progress in the protection of reefs.