Asia’s Great Climate Frontiers: In parts of the Coral Triangle, a harmony between fishing and marine protection has been achieved. But the future is far from certain.
APO ISLAND, Philippines: Around the small volcanic island, the sea is heavy and the sky is dark. This is the Amihan season in the Philippines, where days are defined by the onset of the northeast monsoon, cooler temperatures and trade winds.
A hard-fought harmony has been found here. But the situation on Apo was not always so. And how the long-term future looks hangs in the balance still. “So, it was total obliteration of corals inside the sanctuary. Just imagine 30 years of protection gone in a few hours, because of two typhoons that happened one year apart.”
The whole zone - just like coral reef systems all across the globe - is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. Global sea temperature warming, ocean acidification and rising sea levels are compounding the stress factors. It has authorities from national governments to local barangays - administrative wards - bracing for worse to come and looking to strengthen their climate defences.“OUR FARM IS THE SEA”
“In the old days, nobody cared about what happened after you fish, until people got aware that what they were doing was destructive to the fish,” said Mario Pascobello, the Barangay captain of Apo Island. “Slowly, slowly, it spread across the country. I'm happy to share what we did here. And it's normally working well and I can prove, and Apo Island itself is proof, that community-based programmes are very effective,” he said.
“But tourism just comes as a secondary thing here. And it now has become the primary livelihoods of the people,” he said.Today, nearly all of the island’s residents benefit from tourism. Fishermen take turns acting as snorkel guides for visitors. The women benefit from operating restaurants and homestays, while young people aspire to become tourism operators.“The turtles are no longer seen as food but as friends,” said Rimel Tabañera, a young eco-guide on Apo.
With the support of the Sulubaai Environmental Foundation, Jabelo now has the ability to suit up and explore underwater. But when he dives, it is not for leisure. “A lot of things have changed. Before, we were able to catch fish even on the outskirts of the ocean. We only bring back and sell high-quality fish. Now, we have no choice but to bring home all of our catch even if it's not good just so we can have something to eat.
The foundation has already helped establish four MPAs in the local region of Shark Fin Bay. Its co-founder and president, Frédéric Tardieu, has ambitions to create 10 MPAs by 2025. Sulubaai’s base, a private, rehabilitated island - Pangatalan - has become an incubator for new science and innovative ocean researchers. Education is a central mission too.
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