Much has been written in the national newspapers about the Spratlys, particularly the Scarborough Shoal, in the past few weeks. The newspaper accounts have focused on the controversial claims of the Philippines and China over the ownership of the Shoal.
A suggestion in the 1990s by Dr. John McManus, then at the University of the Philippines, was to make the Spratlys, including Scarborough Shoal, a marine-protected area to be recognized by both the Philippines and China, as well as by other nations bordering the West Philippine Sea, as part of a specific protected area called Transborder Peace Park.
This suggestion was repeated in my 2008 article in the Proceedings of JOMSRE-SCS, a publication of the joint oceanographic expeditions to the South China Sea of the Philippines and Vietnam (1996-2007).
Recently, Atty. Antonio Oposa, Magsaysay awardee, has reiterated the suggestion as a solution to the present conflict. The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation has, in fact, encouraged discussions on the issue among awardees from the Philippines and China.
The suggestion makes sense in the light of confirmed reports that oceans and marine habitats are deteriorating, and marine biodiversity, including fisheries, have been depleted.
There is no other way to allow recovery of degraded habitats and their biodiversity except by environmental protection.
By protecting the Spratlys, all nations around the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) stand to benefit present and future generations in terms of food security, freedom of navigation, and ensuring peaceful relations among nations, and as a specific, positive response to climate change.
Agreement to protect the Spratlys from uncontrolled exploitation is consistent with the United Nations General Assembly’s call for Regular Process to assess the world’s marine ecosystems.
There is little scientific data from the Scarborough Shoal. These data were gathered by the JOMSRE-SCS I Expedition in 1996 participated in by the Marine Sciene Institure of the University of the Philippines, and the Vietnamese scientists.
Their report stated that Scarborough Shoal had 39 species of hard coral, and 61 species in six families of marine fish, with a density of 932 individuals per 500 square meters of coral reef, a rather low coral and reef fish species richness, and a moderate fish density, as far as coral reefs are concerned. (Fish species taken by fishers from the shoal are apparently the pelagic species.)
Other shoals and reefs in the Spratlys have more coral species and fish species according to the results of JOMSRE-SCS III and IV.
In the late 1980s, reports indicated that giant clams were heavily fished, and none of the largest species were seen.
If the Shoal is converted to a marine protected area, the coral reef environment and all the associated species will surely improve.
Thus, it appears that making the Spratlys a marine protected area could bring about a win-win situation in the West Philippine Sea.
