China’s environmental protection reports are unlikely to put to rest the Philippines’ concerns about the destruction of marine life around Scarborough Shoal, says this ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute academic.
Filipino fishermen sail past a Chinese coast guard ship near the Scarborough Shoal, which is a flashpoint between the countries.Two of them concern China ’s disputed claims in the South China Sea: The Scarborough Shoal, which Beijing currently controls, and the Second Thomas Shoal, where the Philippine vessel Sierra Madre is grounded.
Incidentally, giant clams were an issue in 2012 when Philippine navy personnel attempted to arrest several Chinese fishermen for illegal fishing, which included the molluscs. The operation was thwarted by the Chinese navy, which subsequently assumed control of Scarborough Shoal. Apart from its transparency initiative, which spotlights China’s strong-arm tactics in the South China Sea, the Philippines released images in May showing the destruction of coral reefs and other marine life, particularly giant clams, which it claims was caused by Chinese fishermen.
Beijing refused to participate in the first legal case brought by the Philippines and rejected its findings. It is likely to adopt the same approach if another case is lodged.The Chinese reports on the Scarborough Shoal and Second Thomas Shoal are unlikely to deliver Beijing’s desired outcomes. The same report looks at the impact of natural predators, namely the crown-of-thorns starfish known for decimating coral reefs, concluding that they had “limited influence” on the reef ecosystems at the shoal.
More significantly, the environmental damage attributed to the grounded Sierre Madre at Second Thomas Shoal and related human activities in the area, as claimed by China, appear to pale in comparison to the damage caused by the building of artificial islands by the South China Sea claimant states.
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