CEBU CITY – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has called on local government units to enforce coastal laws, particularly in protecting the coral reefs.
Mario Aragon, Chief of the DENR’s Conservation and Development Division, said majority of the coral reef in Argao, Oslob, Balamban, Bogo, and Naga City in Cebu province, and Calape in Bohol, Guihulngan and San Jose in Negros Oriental, and Enrique Villanueva in Siquijor were in poor condition. He said the corals in those areas have been damaged.
“This would mean lesser fish supply or lower fish mass, which was already noted by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources,” Aragon said, adding, some of these places were even declared as marine protected areas (MPA).
It would take 5-10 years to see the rehabilitation and the re-growing of the coral reef, according to Aragon, whose group had completed the assessment of 2,428 hectares of identified MPAs in Central Visayas. This comprises 81% of the 3,000 hectare target for 2015.
He said the inventory was conducted to identify present condition and composition of the flora and fauna in the coastal and underwater habitats in the region.
Aragon said among the causes of reef destruction are indiscriminate and abusive fishing. He said continuous human activities along crowded shorelines and marine based pollution contribute to the degradation of the coral reefs. (Ferliza Contratista)
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