It is easy to criticize
Government inaction and there are plenty of these complaints in the
press and from people you meet, here in the Philippines. But there is
precious little good press when Government does something which is
insightful, proactive and effective.
Take for example the Government of
Southern Leyte and it's Local Government Units (LGUs) campaign
against the Crown of Thorns Starfish infestation around Sogod Bay.
You have probably never heard of this, but Government at all levels,
from top to bottom, are working hard to save the Coral Reefs from
what would be total devastation if immediate and extensive action
were not taken.
Crown of Thorns Starfish (COTS) are
naturally found in Coral Reefs throughout the Pacific area; normally
in numbers between 1-15 COTS per Hectare (10,000 square meters). COTS
each consume between 5-13 square meters of Coral Reef per year;
preying on all types of coral, hard and soft, with a preference for
the fast growing Branch Corals. Their natural common predators are
Conch and Anemone.
But for some apparently unknown reason
the COTS can reproduce in large numbers, sowing their eggs in one
general area, which drift on currents over a larger area and so on.
One possible cause of increased reproduction is increased nutrition
sources caused by "run-off" of fertilizers and other human
activity. Or maybe it is just a cyclic thing. Exact knowledge seems
limited.
The Sogod Bay area experienced a
serious outbreak of COTS infestation in 2005. The local scuba dive
shop operators worked together and did their best to arrest the
problem by extracting tens of thousands of COTS, and the outbreak
eventually subsided. But the resources of the dive shop operators
were limited, and several reefs were devastated. Sogod Bay is
experiencing another major outbreak in 2012.
Early in the year, with the COTS
populations reaching up to ten-times "normal" levels, the
dive shop operators decided to bring the new outbreak to the
attention of the Provincial Government in an attempt to save the
reefs from destruction. Recognizing the importance of the Coral Reefs
to the local fishing community and the recreational scuba dive
tourism operations around the bay, the Provincial Government decided
to take action.
Using funds from their Provincial
Disaster Risk fund, the Government organized a meeting of all
government units, Southern Leyte State University and the scuba dive
operators. The kick-off meeting was held April 12, 2012 and was well
attended by all stakeholders. It resulted in a comprehensive action
plan, funded by the government, to aggressively fight the COTS
infestation and save as many of the best reefs as possible.
The battle-plan calls for use of the
effective methods developed by Australia's Great Barrier Reef Marine
Park Authority (GBRMPA) in their ongoing fight against COTS infection
in Australia. The only effective methods found so far are to either
physically remove the COTS one by one from the water, where they then
suffocate on dry-land, or inject each COTS in the water with a deadly
solution.
The local stakeholders contribute their
time and receive 1-Peso "bounty" per landed COTS. The dive
operators likewise are provided the bounty to off-set their staff,
fuel and dive-tank costs. The government appointed Dive Ranger (see
separate blog entry) helps to organize intensive extraction events
and maintains bounty records; while Southern Leyte University is
scientifically studying the efficacy of the effort.
Anecdotal observations show that the
effort is working! Literally tens-of thousands of COTS have been
removed, and the program is ongoing. While the Coral Reef on the
north-side of the Tankaan Peninsula was devastated early in the
outbreak, destroying five popular dive-sites and fishing-grounds, the
other major reefs and dive sites around the bay have so far been
largely protected.
This is a great example of
government-private vision, cooperation and commitment of resources;
in this case to protect an important natural resource and source of
livelihood for local fishermen and for tourism within Southern Leyte.
It is a positive example of Government in action and another
demonstration of the contribution that scuba dive shop operators make
to local communities.
A great win-win government - private enterprise battle for the Coral
Reefs of Southern Leyte!
For another view of this problem see...
For more information, contact...
southern leyte state university: Homer
Yray <homeryray@yahoo.com>
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