Many marine lives depend on coral reef. It serves as home and protection of numerous forms of marine organisms especially fish. Coral reef provides a vast array of some valuable services in terms of natural heritage, tourism, fishing and biodiversity. However, the coral cover of the Philippines is deteriorating. Threatened by actions such as excessive and destructive fishing methods, pollution runoff from logging and urban development, many of the fair reefs are shifting to the degradation state which affects the country’s marine ecosystem. Taking actions in restoring the marine environment is undeniably needed.
WELCOME TO THE MOVEMENT IN UNISON!
One successful way of restoration is coral transplantation. Gaining recognition as one of the management tools for coral restoration, it is done by removing a coral fragment from a donor coral and transplanting it to a substrate.
Coral TransplantationTwo types of substrates were used in the coral transplantation: PVC pipes and hollow blocks. The PVC pipes were assembled in such a way that it caters nine coral fragments while the spaces between the holes of the hollow blocks were utilized and filled with small-sized pipes to house the corals.
An area which has sufficient healthy coral cover was chosen as the donor site. Coral fragments were cut from donor corals and were put in a plastic mesh container. The collected fragments were transported underwater from the donor site to the transplantation site. Living coral fragments were planted one-by-one to their respective coral substrate. The fragments were inserted in a hole in the substrates using an underwater marine epoxy. The corals are fragile and so extra care was observed. Monitoring of the donor corals and transplanted corals is done regularly. The monitoring observation includes the coral growth increment, the listing of numbers of migratory and residential species in the area, and the number of coral fragments. The growth increment (in centimeter) of each coral transplant is also monitored. |
Knowing that protecting the rehabilitated site will not be successful without the citizens’ help, awareness of the problem is needed to start a change. Awareness campaign on coral importance educates citizens to start caring.
Campaign AwarenessWe, the members of the BNCHS FYRO - Cyber Team started the campaign awareness in Brgy. San Juan, Hinatuan. The residents are the immediate accomplice in the success of the transplantation.
We did signature campaign in school and house to house campaign awareness in our locale. In the signature campaign 553 students, as well as the people in our locale signed and listened to the lectures about how important corals is and how it affects the environment. First we discussed our project mission and vision as well as providing crucial information about the coral reef environment and how it affects us people. After the short discussion we let the people who we encountered to sign our logbook as a proof of their cooperation in our campaign towards saving the coral reef environment of Hinatuan. Inculcating their minds with the motto,"everything affects everything else". Different people from different social classes showed their enthusiasms towards the movement to save the Hinatuan Coral Reef and interest in the campaign endeavor. Protection of marine life is not entirely a government duty. It is everyone’s responsibility.
|
By protecting the marine environment, we are ensuring the survival of our generation and the next.
Corals…
We often thought of corals as an inactive component of the marine bio-ecosystem. We ignore them and poison them, unthinking that the coral is one of the most important living-thing in ocean wildlife. They stood as the shelter and development center of fishes. Without them, the fishes are homeless and will not be able to survive. Without corals, the beach is black and you might see no land in the surface of the earth. All our homes will sink in the blue ocean.
We are the dwellers of this land, and it is our responsibility to take care of our environment. As a team, we do our best to put effort in encouraging everyone to help us clean our environment.
We must MOVE IN UNISON in order to save our corals and our ocean wildlife.
[ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE]
Repulsive Image
The world is now enjoying the luxury by exquisite coral decorations. Sold for hundreds and thousands of dollars, coral decorations have become a trend for rich people as “collectibles” as they regard. However, while we still have reasons to exult from the precious corals that we are extracting, we might need to pause for a while and imagine. What if we totally ran out of corals? Will our world be as good as it is today?
Coral decorations have been considered one of the reasons why coral hunters have been continuously surrounding posing threats to Great Barrier Reef - the biggest coral reef formation in the world; Tubattaha reef- considered to be the center of biodiversity in the earth; and many other reefs formation. It has been estimated that in 10years span, if this activities will continue, the oceans will ran out of corals. What consequences will we suffer if corals will be endangered and soon be extinct?
Coral decorations have been considered one of the reasons why coral hunters have been continuously surrounding posing threats to Great Barrier Reef - the biggest coral reef formation in the world; Tubattaha reef- considered to be the center of biodiversity in the earth; and many other reefs formation. It has been estimated that in 10years span, if this activities will continue, the oceans will ran out of corals. What consequences will we suffer if corals will be endangered and soon be extinct?
JOIN US~!!
|
|