EDITORIAL - Irreplaceable

Authorities are still assessing the extent of the damage caused by a US Navy ship that ran aground in shallow waters in the Tubbataha Reefs marine park early last Thursday. Those tasked to watch over the park said the US will have to pay an estimated P12,000 per square meter of damaged corals in the protected area.

What’s damaged in the UNESCO World Heritage Site, however, is irreplaceable. Corals don’t grow overnight, and large swathes of the country’s extensive coral networks have already disappeared. Destructive forms of fishing such as the use of dynamite, pollution, an infestation of coral-consuming starfish, and the harvesting of corals for interior décor have depleted Philippine coral reefs.

The depletion has meant fewer breeding grounds for marine life and dwindling fish catch. Growing environmental awareness in recent years has meant greater efforts to preserve the marine environment in this country, which is home to a site classified as the world’s “center of the center of marine biodiversity” – the Verde Island Passage in Batangas. Even in Tubbataha, however, efforts to conserve what’s left of the coral reefs are endangered by poachers and the occasional ship that runs aground.

The incident in Tubbataha should remind authorities that measures to protect all coral reefs in the archipelago must be sustained and intensified. The task is made difficult by the increasing use of the seas for commercial purposes and the lack of government resources to patrol the country’s waters. There are non-government groups, however, that can be tapped for the effort. Communities themselves must be made aware that all Filipinos are stakeholders in the protection of marine resources. These are the nation’s heritage, and we all have a stake in protecting nature’s blessings.