The end game

Many islands and forests have been destroyed by loggers, miners and lack of awareness. An overwhelming number of tourists have caused devastating damage in different places all over the world — which started from leaving garbage behind.

The Philippines — known as the Pearl of the Orient Seas — is an archipelago composed of 7,641 islands. Once upon a time, our country had over 22 million hectares of rich biodiversity. Today, we only have less than two million hectares, mostly secondary forests.

Our seas were considered one of the richest in the world. It used to be at the center of the coral triangle with colonies housing the most marine species ever recorded by science. Our marine biodiversity was abundant and endless.

The tarsiers of Bohol and the wild tamaraw of Mindoro are almost gone. Our famed monkey-eating eagles are now difficult to locate and almost extinct. Our turtles, nautili and golden cowries have significantly depleted. Our butanding or whale sharks in Donsol are treated like circus animals.

Balicasag and Pamilacan — two islands rich in marine species — have also suffered from the effects of over-tourism.

The Philippines was once blessed with rich biodiversity. Our country used to be the envy of the world. Scientists would come to research on our ecosystems and natural resources to study our animal and plant species.

When I first came to Zamboanga in 1973, we would eat bayawak, an endemic lizard. They have ceased to exist today. When we started diving in the 1970s, our seas and coral reefs were breathtakingly beautiful and overwhelmingly abundant. Now, many of our species are painfully framed in museums.

The Pearl of the Orient no longer exists. Our seas are gone and many of our resources are destroyed. It is an environmental catastrophe.

A country’s rich biodiversity is dying, but it’s also a problem all over the world. There are only a few beautiful places left untouched, thanks to sustainability- and environment-first policies. One example is Amanpulo, with its wildlife roaming free. People use electric carts to roam around the 89-hectare island since there are no cemented roads. Once you enter this tourist spot, you hear the chirping voice of birds and the sound of waves. However, plastic still finds its way into this sanctuary as it gets washed ashore.

The oceans are in peril. If we don’t get our act together, it’s only a matter of time before the damage gets worse.

Sadly, our leaders have failed us and we have failed Mother Earth. We need to change our ways as soon as possible. If not, our civilization will cease to exist. We are living in the endgame.