[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’Guimaras seeks to protect 70 hectares of coral reefs’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”][/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=’custom’ color=’#0a0a0a’]
Sunday, January 15, 2017
[/av_textblock]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=’custom’ color=’#0a0a0a’]
GUIMARAS – This island province boasts of 70 hectares of undisturbed coral reefs, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Western Visayas.
Coral reefs are marine ridges or mounds, which have formed as a result of the deposition of calcium carbonate by living organisms, predominantly corals. Often called “rainforests of the sea”, they form some of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet.
Regional Director Jim Sampulna of DENR said a team will be created to protect Guimaras’ coral reefs.
What is good, he said, was that the coral reefs are within the established protected areas in the province.
Dr. Vilma Limates of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) said the coral reefs are within the Taklong Island National Marine Reserve, particularly in Barangay La Paz in Nueva Valencia town.
She explained that the 1,143-hectare marine reserve is divided into two zones – the strict protection zone that is open only for research activities and the multiple-use zone that caters to traditional fishing and eco-tourism activities.
Coral reefs, while they serve as haven for fishes, can also be a big boost to Guimaras’ tourism industry.
But coral reefs in general are critical marine habitat. They are imperiled by several threats. The increasing acidification of the ocean — caused when oceans absorb immense amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) released into the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels — inhibits coral’s ability to produce the calcium carbonate exoskeletons they rely on for shelter.
Water pollution, too, is wreaking havoc on coral reefs. Agricultural pesticides and fertilizers, oil and gasoline, sewage discharge and sediment loads from eroded landscapes damage the complex relationships that exist between the plants, coral and other animals that are part of the reef ecosystem. (PNA)
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
