YOUR ROLE IN MARINE CONSERVATION
SEA OF CHANGEChristine Paula Love R.
Bernasor
The Philippines
Has one of the longest coastlines in the world—estimated at 36,289 kilometers.
The coastline extends 2,000 kilometers from north to south, with 25 major cities lying on the coast.
The Philippines
Coral Triangle is a marine area located in the western Pacific Ocean.
Philippines Indonesia Malaysia Papua New Guinea Timor Leste Solomon Islands
The Philippines
75% of the world’s coral species are found here—nearly 600 different species.
Six of the world’s seven marine turtle species More than 2000 species of reef fish
CURRENT SITUATION
People of the World
Total water use increased almost 10 fold along the 20th Century
Estimates of the Earth’s carrying capacity for humans
HUMAN CHALLENGES
FOOD SECURITY
WATER SECURITY
ENERGY SECURITY
ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY
Should We Look Into Space?
No Habitable Planets Yet – Time to Travel
‘Earthening’ Planets – Too Slow
Population Control and Management
To Look From Space Rather Than Into Space
The 9 Billion Question
THREATS TO THE OCEAN
By the law of nature these things are common to mankind—the air, running water, the sea, and consequently the shores of the sea.
A consequence of the common nature of the oceans, where private property does not generally occur, is that no one takes responsibility for the problems plaguing the oceans and that its resources are overexploited even where regulations, but insufficient enforcement, exist.
TRAGEDY OF COMMONS
UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
Rising temperatures & Ocean Acidification
Twin threats to ocean life resulting from the increased levels of carbon dioxide we are pumping into the atmosphere as a result of our dependence on fossil fuels
Coral Reef Degradation The Philippines coral
reef area is the second largest in Southeast Asia
More than 400 scleractinian coral species, 12 of which are endemic.
Less than 1% of our coral reefs are in excellent condition
Loss of Sea Grass Beds and Mangroves
Of the more than 10,000 square kilometers of 98 sites surveyed, only 978 square kilometers of sea grass beds remain
We lost 30-40 percent of our sea grass beds
Only 140,000 hectares of mangroves remains out of 450,000 hectares.
Shark Finning Nearly 40 million sharks
are killed annually for their fins, which are considered a delicacy in Asia and prepared primarily in soups and cosmetics.
No legislation to ban the catching of all sharks and rays in Philippine waters
Pollution All sorts of human-generated
pollutants are degrading the marine environment, including those discharged from factories on land, pesticides and nutrients from agriculture, sewage, plastics, toxic chemicals and oil resulting from spills, and evenradioactive discharges from nuclear power stations situated near the coast.
Sea Levels Rising Philippines has seen
three times the global average in sea level rising making it more vulnerable to natural disasters
Philippines posted the highest average increase in sea levels, at 60 cms, against the global average of 19 cms since the year 1901.
Overfishing and Illegal Fishing 75% percent of fisheries
are overfished Philippines will run out
of fish in ten years if it fails to stop overfishing.
Compared to 1960’s only 10% of the fish population remain today
Today we allocate important resources to search for water and oceans in distant planets - so far with no success...But we largely ignore our ocean, the “inner space”
WHY PROTECT THE OCEAN?
At least 4,951 species of marine plants and animals are found in Philippine coastal and marine habitats.
The 381 coral species and 1,030 species of fish recorded in Philippine coral reefs ranks the country second to the great Barrier Reef in coral and coral reef fish diversity
3,967 species of coral reefs 481 species of sea grass beds There are 16 taxa of seagrasses recorded in the Philippines
making the country the second highest in terms of seagrass species richness in the world
370 species of mangroves 70 species soft bottom communities
Home to Millions
..
Scientists believe that phytoplankton contribute between 50 to 85 percent of the oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere
Seagrass meadows are strong natural carbon sinks even greater than the pristine Amazonian forest.
It is estimated that four and a half million of hectares of mangroves in Indonesia can scrub the carbon emissions of some five million cars.
Mangroves can sequester 1.5 tons of carbon per hectare per year
Oxygen and CO2 Regulation
At least 40 million Filipinos depend on the sea for food and livelihood
More than 1 million people (5 percent of the national labor force), with 68% employed in the municipal sector and 28% in the commercial and aquaculture sectors
6.2 million employed in tourism-related businesses At least $83 million per year annual direct benefits from
mangroves Philippines accounts for 43% of the marine aquarium fish and 36
percent of the invertebrates traded globally Coral reefs alone contribute at least $1,064 billion annually 1 square kilometer of healthy coral reef with some tourism
potential produces net revenues ranging from $29,000 to $113,000
Food and Livelihood
Coral reefs protect an estimated 200 million people from natural disasters and rising sea levels.
Coastal Protection
Trabectedin is an anti-tumor drug. It is sold under the brand name Yondelis in Europe, Russia and South Korea for the treatment of advanced soft tissue sarcoma, such as ovary cancer.
Green fluorescent proteins (GFP) are proteins that exhibit bright green fluorescence when excited by blue or UV radiation. First isolated from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria, GFP has been used to design biosensors for visualisation and diagnostic purposes.
Market Value: US$9B in 2009, increasing at a rapid 9.4% from the previous year.
1 amylase, from a hydrothermal vent organism, used to liquefy corn biofuel deliver US$150M every year on patent use rights
Apothecary
MYTHS ABOUT THE PLASTICS
Myth: There are floating islands of plastics in every ocean.
Fact: Only a small percentage of ocean plastics float at the sea surface.
Myth #1
Myth: Ocean plastic primarily comes from ocean dumping and industry, such as cruise ships or container ships.
Fact: Most of the plastics in the ocean come from items we use every day.
Myth #2
Myth: Ocean trash gyres, large areas of the ocean where currents concentrate trash, can simply be cleaned out of existence.
Fact: While some surface trash can be cleaned, many plastics break down and become dispersed.
Myth #3
Myth: Ocean plastics are just a trash problem.
Fact: Plastic particles are now found inside animals and throughout the ocean food chain
Myth #4
Myth: There is one, simple solution capable of solving our ocean plastics problem.
Fact: Bans, fees, recycling nor product redesign alone can fix this.
Myth #5
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Watch What You Are Eating!
Keep it Clean! Use Less Plastic
Reduce Your Energy Consumption
Keep Your Beach Clean!
Be A Responsible Traveler
Be An Active Ocean Defender