One plane load of visitors from Semirara Island and Caluya municipality (Antique) made a visit to Apo Island yesterday (November 16, 2015) for the purpose of learning how to go about establishing and maintaining no-take marine protected areas on Semirara Island.
The group consisted of 30 members of the island community and consisted of officers and employees of the Semirara Mining and Power Corporation led by Sheila Maniego and Ronnie Estrellado. A former mayor and three barangay captains were part of the group that were interested in putting up marine reserves for improving fisheries on the island of Semirara.
The visit was facilitated by Assistant PASu Eleuterio Calijan and PDO Jose Bryan Arranguez of DENR (Dumaguete), Emily Layos and myself of SUAKCREM (Silliman University), Barangay officers of Apo Island, Apo Barangay Captain Liberty Rhodes, and Former Barangay Captain Mario Pascobello. Mario has been an effective lecturer who has been active in promoting coastal resource management.
The Protected Area Management Board representative, Jose Bryan Arranguez, an Apo resident (third generation trainee of Mario Pascobello), gave a 45-minute, excellent and comprehensive presentation of the Apo Seascape and Landscape history from the late 1970s to the present, the role of the island’s barangay officers, the supporting activities of the Dauin municipal mayors and the town council, the management of the reserve as the first community-based marine reserve in the Philippines, the technical aspects of marine reserve protection and management by the Silliman University Marine Laboratory, the program of conservation of marine and terrestrial resources, the establishment by DENR as a national marine protected area under the NIPAS law, and the impact of the no-take reserve in terms of marine biodiversity conservation and ecotourism on the lives of people.
The presentation was an impressive one, and it was followed by questions from the participants. I took the liberty of adding more specific details of Apo reserve’s impact on the national program on the coastal environment.
Apo marine reserve is world-famous because it has been managed very well. It has contributed some 5-6 million pesos annually for some time to the local economy in addition to the fish yield of 15-20 tons per year taken from areas outside of the marine reserve, and at the same time preserving the integrity of the marine environment. Also, the operation and the functioning of the reserve have been documented in more than 40 published technical papers mostly by Silliman University scientists and their collaborators.
I have no doubt that our Semirara guests learned much from what they saw and heard from the Apo community, and my hope is that they will be inspired to set up their three no-take marine reserves on Semirara Island along lines of Apo’s almost 40 years of integrated coastal management. We look forward to their successful pursuit of a healthy coastal environment.
One thing highly emphasized by both Liberty and Mario during the meeting (which I fully agree) was the need for strong political will and strict, sustained implementation of the reserve regulations, as stated in the municipal ordinances that will serve as the legal basis for management. This means political considerations should not affect the management and protection of the reserve. Aside from this, I would add that regular monitoring should also be done.
After writing the above glowing account of the Apo marine reserve, I would like to sound an alarm, and I direct this to the Apo PAMB: It is time for you to find out the carrying capacity of Apo Island. During my last visit I noticed a large number of boats with too many divers. Now is time for you to determine how many divers can be allowed without harming the marine environment of Apo Island. Remember that the amount of money received is not the only factor to consider in running a marine reserve. You must see to it that the integrity of the environment is kept intact.
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Author’s email: suakcrem@yahoo.com
