DANAJON BANKDOUBLE BARRIER REEF:

A Unique and Valuable Resource

The ProjectFISHERIES IMPROVED FOR SUSTAINABLE HARVEST

CEBU

BOHOL

LEYTE

Location of theDanajon Bank

Double Barrier Reef

Why “Danajon”

Danajon comes from a local name “dahunan” (according to Barangay Captain Sanso Avenido of Ubay). “Dahunan is a local name of a stingray that looks like a leaf and was abundant before.”A second version of danajon comes from the local word “nanahun”, meaning “it is full of leaves.” The story of “nanahun” was told by SB Wayne Evardoof Talibon: “a long time ago, fishermen could catch a huge number of fish just like a bunch of leaves using multiple hooks and line…or, it’s amazing to catch a great number of fish just like a tree branch full of leaves.”

There are 17 municipalities and cities covering 4 provinces with directjurisdiction over the Danajon Bank. These are:

BOHOLThe Provincial Government and the LGUs of Tubigon, Clarin, Inabanga, Buenavista, Getafe, Talibon, BienUnido, Ubay, Trinidad and President Garcia Island

CEBUProvincial Government and the City of Lapu-Lapu and Municipality of Cordova

SOUTHERN LEYTEProvincial Government and Municipality of Maasin

LEYTEProvincial Government and Municipalities of Hilongos, Hindang, Bato and Matalom

Effective coordination between 16 LGUs, 1 city and 4 Provincial Governments is needed for the proper rehabilitation and management of the Danajon Bank.

LGU jurisdiction over theDanajon Bank Double Barrier Reef

Why protect this reef complex

Provide “food security” for people around the Danajon Bank by ensuring a supply of fish and marine organisms which sustains their livelihood and main source of proteinIncrease the potential in the area for ecotourism developmentMaintain the biodiversity of the Double Barrier Reef for multiple reasons

What is a Double Barrier Reef?

Double barrier reefs are very rare geological phenomena built by coral growth.

The Danajon Bank is the only barrier reef in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.

Danajon Double Barrier Reef is approximately 6,000 years old.

Unlike the Australian Great barrier reef with only one barrier, the Danajon Bank has two barrier reefs, side by side, a unique formation.

The parallel barriers grew up with corals on top of older subsiding islands.

Danajon Reef StatisticsConsolidated data on the Danajon Bank Double Barrier Reef includes whole reef from Cebu (Lapu- Lapu [CaubyanIsland] to Leyte and Bohol Municipalities from Tubigon to President Carlos P. Garcia Island)

381.5 km249.2 km132.3 kmTotal Length271.7 km2*128.4 km2143.3 km2Total Area

0.13 to 4.27 km0.3 to 4.06 kmRange of width of reef

Total for whole Double Barrier Reef

Calituban reef (inner)

Caubyan reef (outer)

• Danajon Bank Double Barrier Reef covers an area over 1% of the total coral reef of the Philippines estimated to be 27,000 sq. km.

Structure of the Danajon BankDouble Barrier Reef

To Camotes Islands25 km

To Bohol Mainland5 km

Adapted from Pichon, M. 1977

What is the value of theDouble Barrier Reef?

The area in and surrounding the Double Barrier Reef is composed of coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass habitats in shallow and relatively well protected waters.It has been supplying Cebu, Leyte, Southern Leyte and Bohol with food for centuries.It provides livelihood for communities relying on it for fishing and subsistence activities.It provides protection to the Islands from typhoons, and storms.It acts as a huge “sea bank” and breeding area for fishes and coral reef animals and supplies large amounts of young fishes and larvae upon which the rest of Bohol, Cebu, Leyte, and Southern Leytedepend.Reef sanctuaries attract divers who pay user fees.

Diagram of the bird

flyway which crosses the

Olango areas and the

DanajonBank Double Barrier Reef

Sustainable annual net economic revenues(direct and indirect) per km2 of typical healthy coral

reef in the Philippines with tourism potential

12,000 – 36,000

4,000 – 8,000

3,000 – 30,000

3,000 – 6,000

5,000 – 25,000

2,400 – 8,000

29,400 – 113,000

10 to 30 ton

0.5 to 1 ton

100 to 1,000 persons

500 to 1,000 persons

600 to 2,000 persons

Sustainable fisheries (local consumption)

Sustainable fisheries (live fish export)

Tourism (on-site residence)

Tourism (off-site residence)

Coastal protection (prevention of erosion)

Aesthetic/Biodiversity Value (willingness-to-pay)

Total

Potential annual revenue(US$) (range)

Production rangeResource use

(White and Cruz-Trinidad 1998)

OneOne kmkm22 of reef is worth between 29,400 and of reef is worth between 29,400 and 113,000 US$ per year if managed well 113,000 US$ per year if managed well ––

DanajonDanajon has has 270 km270 km22 of reef which could be of reef which could be worth at least worth at least 8 Million US$ per year8 Million US$ per year if if managed. But the present situation is not so managed. But the present situation is not so good…good…

What is the current status of theDouble Barrier Reef?

The decline of the Danajon Bank began in the 1950’s due to rampant illegal fishing, blasting and over-fishing.This was compounded in the 1960’s with the aquarium fish trade and the use of sodium cyanide.Illegal actions have continued to the present.Sedimentation has steadily increased in recent years as land use has intensified.

Marginal fishers are catching fewer fishevery year

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1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Cat

ch p

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ay(k

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ay)

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Poison fishing withthe use of cyanideand other chemicalsstarted

Fine-mesh nets,trawls and intensivebut destructivefishing gearsintroduced

Monofilament netsand fine-mesh netsintroduced

“High-tech” commercialfishing and “high-tech”fishing gears and lightsintroduced

Dynamite fishingintroduced duringSecond World War;plant poisons usedregularly

Graph shows decreasing fish catch of marginal fishers in Bohol, Cebu, Leyte and Southern Leyte as measured by catch per unit effort (kilograms per fisher per day) plotted against time.

Fish catch decline results from:

Habitat destruction through dynamite fishing and use of poisons to target aquarium species and live food fish capture (groupers)Trawling, using fine mesh nets which literally ‘plough’ the bottom and destroy everything in their path.Illegal intrusion of commercial fishing operators into the reef areaOVERFISHING

Fair – 25 – 49.9% Live coral coverPoor – 0 – 24.9% Live coral cover

Coral reef status in the Danajon Bank at12 survey sites

75%9 Sites

25%3 Sites

POOR

FAIR

Calumpong 2004

Coastal Law Enforcement Issues

Species diversity for the six locations surveyed in 2004

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Bilang

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casa

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Total SpeciesTarget SpeciesIndicator Species

No .

of S

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Calumpong 2004White et. al. 2003

Mean reef fish densities for reserves or proposedreserves and neighboring fished reefs (n=6).

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Basiao

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Reserve

Non-Reserve

fish/

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Calumpong 2004White et. al. 2003

Mean target fish densities for reserves or proposedreserves and neighboring fished reefs (n=6).

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Basiao

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ReserveNon-Reserve

fish/

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Calumpong 2004White et. al. 2003

Total reef fish biomass for reserves or proposed reserves and neighboring fished reefs (n=6).

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Basiao

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ReserveNonreserve

kg/5

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Calumpong 2004

Piscivore biomass for reserves or proposedreserves and neighboring fished reefs (n=6).

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kg/5

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Calumpong 2004

Densely populated coastal island

Social problems that contribute to and are caused by reef and fisheries decline

Low access of local people to basic services, health services, potable water, etc.Low education levels especially in the islandsHigh population growth rate and density of people

Opportunities to Support Solutions

Danajon needs an “ecosystem approach” to managementSee the big picture – Danajon is a large ecosystem that functions as a unitDanajon is a resource that can support people into perpetuity Development of a strong law enforcement component for the Danajon Bank areaOn going conduct of a baselining process and profiling of the whole area to lead to the development of an integrated management plan for the Danajon Bank area

MPAs in Bohol:120 municipal—5 NIPAS

Ecosystem Management: Shift in Approach for Danajon

FromIndividual speciesSmall spatial scaleShort-term perspectiveHumans independent of ecosystemsManagement divorced from researchManaging commodities

ToEcosystems/connected areasMultiple scales (LGUs)Long-term perspectiveHumans as integral parts of ecosystemsAdaptive management that uses research resultsSustained production potential for ecosystem goods and services through habitat protection fishery management etc.

Lubchenco (1994) in Sherman and Duda (1999)

Location of the Danajon BankDouble Barrier Reef and the

LGUs with Jurisdiction

(Annual revenue per km2 based on Olango Island – 1999)What we stand to gain?

$5,247,000$2,373,000Total (270 km2

of reef)

$19,435$8,790

$2,050 c0Aesthetic (Biodiversity values)

00Not availableCoastal Protection

$585 b$39050 – 80 personsoff site

0on siteTourism

.2 - .4 tonExport

$16,800 a$8,4004 – 6 tonConsumptionReef fisheries20102000

a. Assumes an increase in fish catch by 100% through series of marine sanctuaries and law enforcement

b. Assumes that number of offsite visitors will increase by 50%c. Assumes that each visitor pays a user fee

Let’s plan to saveLet’s plan to savethis unique and valuable this unique and valuable

living and productive living and productive resource.resource.

Thank you!Thank you!