A short presentation regarding the Philippines and the role of Filipinos in marine conservation

1. YOUR ROLE IN MARINE CONSERVATION
Christine Paula Love R. Bernasor

3. 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.

4. The Philippines
Coral Triangle is a marine area located in the western Pacific
Ocean.
Philippines
Indonesia
Malaysia
Papua New Guinea
Timor Leste
Solomon Islands

5. 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

7. People of the World

8. Total water use increased almost 10 fold along the 20th
Century

9. Estimates of the Earth’s carrying capacity for humans

11. FOOD SECURITY

12. WATER SECURITY

13. ENERGY SECURITY

14. ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY

15. 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

17. 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

18. UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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.

22. 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

23. 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.

24. 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.

25. 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

27. 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”

29. 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
..

30. 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

31. 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

32. Coral reefs protect an estimated 200 million people
from natural disasters and rising sea levels.
Coastal Protection

33. 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

35. 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

36. 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

37. 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

38. Myth: Ocean plastics
are just a trash
problem.
Fact: Plastic particles
are now found inside
animals and
throughout the ocean
food chain
Myth #4

39. 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

42. Watch What You Are Eating!

44. Keep it Clean! Use Less Plastic

46. Reduce Your Energy Consumption

47. Keep Your Beach Clean!

48. Be A Responsible Traveler

50. Be An Active Ocean Defender