ABOARD THE MY ESPERANZA — “There is hope but we need to act now.”
Greenpeace has called on the public to get to the root of environmental problems before they cause other problems in the future.
Mark Dia, Greenpeace oceans campaign manager for southeast Asia, said all sectors, government, private, non-government organizations and individuals, need to act on problems like proper waste management to help the environment.
Dia said that every year is a record breaking year for carbon dioxide emissions and that there is a severe stress all across the food chain.
Climate change is also wreaking havoc in our seas. The recent weather disturbances to hit Negros Oriental, Sendong and Pablo, “was just an appetizer,” Dia said.
Aside from causing damage to life and property, Sendong and Pablo wrecked the entire coral reef of the world-famous Apo Island Marine Sanctuary.
The sanctuary, which is 450 meters long and stretches out 500 meters from the shore, was established in the early 1980s as a no-fishing zone by the residents, who were convinced by scientists from Silliman University about converting 1/10th of their fishing area into a protected area where the fish could breed.
Dr. Aileen Maypa of the Cebu-based Coastal Conservation Education Foundation said only less than one percent of the reef remains standing inside the sanctuary, located on the southeastern side of Apo island.
Maypa said the 99 percent destruction of the coral covers of Apo Island is “large scale damage and is large scale work.”
In a separate briefing with reporters, former Environment Secretary Dr. Angel C. Alcala, who pioneered in efforts to establish the sanctuary, said fish production outside the Apo Island marine sanctuary was reported at 150 tons a year. After the two typhoons, however, fish yield dropped to 15-20 tons a year.
Meanwhile, Dr. Janet Estacion, assistant director of the SU Institute of Environmental & Marine Sciences, appealed to the media to popularize best practices against climate change.
“One of the problems is that this damage is not a reality to a lot of people. So I urged the media to popularize practices which will not contribute to climate change, Estacion said.
The M.Y. Esperanza, the latest, largest, and fastest ship in Greenpeace fleet, docked Friday in Dumaguete port following a reef check in Apo island, the final part of the Save our Oceans Asia Pacific Tour campaign.
After visiting South Korea, Taiwan, Hongkong, and Palau, the Esperanza, which means “hope” in Spanish, and its 20 crew members, aided the restoration of the Apo Island Marine Sanctuary, and will continue to raise public awareness of what is happening in the seas worldwide.
On hand to welcome the ship and its crew were provincial officials led by Negros Oriental Gov.Roel Degamo, SU Vice President for Development Jane Annette Belarmino, Apo Island social workers, students, biologists, and various Dumaguete City officials.
This was the Esperanza’s third visit to the Philippines. Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning organization that seeks to defend the environment particularly the seas. (With reports from Janelle Reserva, SU Com 55 class)
