Increase in int'l shipping threatens Tubbataha Reef

The rising number of marine vessels passing through Sulu Sea poses a grave threat to the world heritage site Tubbataha Reef Natural Park in Palawan province.

"The potential impact of international shipping on the protected area is heightened due to the marked increase in international shipping," Tubbataha Management Office head Angelique Songco told GMA News Online in a phone interview on Wednesday.

Based on records from 2009 to 2013, there was a 59 percent increase of international shipping passing along the park's buffer zone in Sulu Sea. 

She explained that this posed a "potential impact" on the reef, increasing the amount of marine debris and number of grounding incidents. 

Songco noted that marine debris has been a growing problem in the reef as it affects the corals and the fisheries in the sprawling 97,030-hectare Marine Protected Area (MPA) in Palawan.

The park is home to about 10,000 hectares of coral reef, lying at the heart of the Coral Triangle, touted as the global center of marine biodiversity. Tubbataha has 600 species of fish; 360 species of corals—about half of all coral species in the world; 11 species of sharks; 13 species of dolphins and whales; and 100 species of birds, according to the park's website.

Songco also warned that marine debris causes coral diseases such as black band and white band diseases. 

"Malayo na nga kami sa mainland pero mahina pa rin ang katawan ng mga corals kaya mabilis kapitan ng sakit. Saan nanggagaling ang sakit? Sa basura," she said. 

Although they have yet to produce a conclusive study pointing the marine debris to commercial shipping lines, she noted that they have seen markings on the garbage that says where it came from.

Grounding

The park superintendent, likewise, noted that increased maritime activity near the protected area may also increase the risk of grounding, like what happened early last year when a USS Guardian ship grounded in reef's South Atoll. 

More than a year after the incident, Songco revealed that the US has yet to pay the P58.3 million fine for unauthorized entry and damages to the reef. "They US has not paid a single centavo."

An earlier report revealed that the reef has yet to fully recover from the US warship grounding that damaged some 2,300 square meters of the reef area. 

New projects

According to Songco, the the construction of Tubbataha Reef's modern ranger station will start by October this year. The funding for the said project came from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority. 

The new ranger station is expected to operate in 2015.

Meanwhile, the Tubbataha Management Office has recommended to the Philippine Coast Guard to apply for a Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas recognition from the International Maritime Organization.

If the reef will be included in the PSSA list, Songco noted that the reef management will have more control over the navigation of international ships in Tubbataha's buffer zone. 

"A Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) is an area that needs special protection through action by IMO because of its significance for recognized ecological or socio-economic or scientific reasons and which may be vulnerable to damage by international maritime activities," IMO said.

Among those listed as PSSA were Australia's Great Barrier Reef, Ecuador's Galapagos Archipelago and Spain's Canary Islands among others. — TJD, GMA News