Vincent A. Duenas
Rare Pride Campaign Manager- PEP II
Scientists: The Philippines is the World's 'Center of Marine Biodiversity';
Announce Alarm over Marine Threats: A Summary
The Philippine is the center of marine biodiversity in the world because of its vast marine
species and coastal resources, as declared by some 100 marine scientists (Adraneda, 2006). But
the country’s marine biodiversity is threatened by continuous degradation. According to the
report of the Philippine Environment Monitor 2005, the Philippines utilizes its marine resources
in unsustainable ways.
According to the Philippine Environment Monitor 2005, the country’s total fisheries yield per
year is estimated to be $2.5 billion with more than one million people are employed in the
fishing industry. Further, 2.3 million tourists generated $1.99 million in tourist receipts in 2004
and 6.2 million are people employed in tourism-related businesses.
In the Philippines, only seven percent of the reefs have been declared as marine protected
areas (MPAs), the lowest among Asian countries. According to Executive Order 578 on
National Integrated Coastal Management Strategy, the secretary of the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) should lead in the formulation of the National
Integrated Coastal Management with the national line agencies.
With the policies and plans formulated by the Philippine National Government on conserving
our remaining coastal resources, we must reinforce this at the community levels for effective
management through strengthening community-Based MPAs in the Philippines. Using the Rare
Pride Campaign tools on social marketing or theory of change, strengthening of these MPA
management groups will cause the change in the behavior of community residents in order to
build constituency to achieve conservation results for sustainable fishing.
Source: Adraneda (2006). Scientists: The Philippines is the World's 'Center of Marine
Biodiversity' Announce Alarm over Marine Threats. “Philippines Monitor 2005”. Retrieved
September 12, 2010 from http://www,newsflash.org