Aggressive and vigorous campaigns to conserve the environment through community-based initiatives bear fruit. Fishers who appreciate the importance of conserving natural resources can go great lengths to help realize the goal of sustainable development. One such case is a family living in Snake Island in Honda Bay, Puerto Princesa in the Philippines.
A family of migrant fishers participated in one of training on the conservation of natural resources by non-government and government organizations as part of a vigorous campaign to conserve coastal resources in Palawan. The family occupied a portion north of Snake Island for almost two decades, a time when rampant illegal fishing is at its peak and where conservation programs were actively pursued to counteract the effects of resource degradation. As offshoot of their participation in the various training conducted by conservation organizations, the family decided to personally and voluntarily protect the patches of reef in front of their house. Their house is on stilts anchored in sand, the floor barely touching the sea water at high tide.
The house of the migrant fishers, supported by stilts piled deep in sand, at high tide.
No fishers were allowed by the family to fish and do illegal activities in the once highly fished and damaged reef in front of the family's home for almost two decades. Even members of the family were not allowed to fish in the area. The family took it upon themselves to protect the reef without any legal mandate or any form of remuneration from any agency or organization.
The Outcome of Coral Reef Protection
Coral reef life bounced back to life and became a haven for different kinds of coral reef fish as a result of the family's ardent protection of the coral reef in front of their home. New coral colonies started to regrow on previously damaged corals.
Fish productivity also improved as evidenced by increased fish catch in the family-owned stationary lift net just a few hundred meters away from their home. They can haul over 200 kilograms of anchovies overnight. That translates to high earnings enough to sustain the family for a long time.
One of the coral reef recovery areas.
This case just shows that if people undertake steps for the conservation of natural resources collectively, the benefits will accrue to everyone in the long run. Being mindful of the importance of keeping natural resources intact and harvesting the products without destroying the source can assure everyone of enough food on the table.
But many people still do not subscribe to this noble obligation. The trend of fishery productivity all over Asia, and the world for that matter, is going down. The future, in many areas of the country and other countries plagued by illegal fishing and overfishing, remains bleak. Greedy individuals want to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.
But this family did something significant to the coral reef within their reach, demonstrating that with proper enforcement of existing laws coupled with care for natural resources, it is possible to conserve a gradually declining resource.
Source: Modified from Family-Protected Coral Reef: A Unique Case of Conservation of Natural Resources
©19 March 2011 Patrick A. Regoniel@Palawaniana.net