YAMAN NG ATING DAGAT
By Cora Guidote
Words fall short when non-scuba divers ask me what it’s like being underwater.
The moment I cross the line between air and water, the world changes. Marine life, particularly in the Philippines, is a wondrous place full of wondrous and mystical creatures. I go down to depths I’ve never dreamed possible, with childlike wonder, gawking at the sight of colorful and diverse coral gardens, teeming with equally diverse sea creatures.
The Philippines is known as the global center of marine biodiversity. As a matter of fact, marine biologists call the Philippine Sea the “center of the center” of aquatic diversity because much of the country is in the Coral Triangle, with more than 16,800 square kilometers of coral reef.
The Coral Triangle, according to the website of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), “is a marine area located in the western Pacific Ocean which includes the waters of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and Solomon Islands. Named for its staggering number of corals (nearly 600 different species of reef-building corals alone), the region nurtures six of the world’s seven marine turtle species and more than 2000 species of reef fish.”
The Philippines has more marine species per unit area than any other place on the planet; it is home to a unique collection of species of corals, seagrass, seaweeds, invertebrates, fish and marine mammals.
Understanding marine life is key to its sustainability. The symbiotic relationship between fish, corals, and mangroves is sadly, not fully understood by people who do not dive, snorkel or swim. I find this true even for people living near the coast. This detached consciousness serves little to protect our marine life. With limited knowledge and understanding of marine life and its diversity, humans check in as the worst predators of the sea. Activities such as pollution, overfishing, destructive fishing practices dynamite or cyanide-fishing and trawling are some of the many ways people can damage reefs around the world.
Thanks to the emergence of ecotourism, in particular scuba diving and nature-based advocates such as the WWF and Bantay Dagat, awareness about marine life has grown. Local communities have learned to appreciate the value of our oceans, having provided them with a highly sustainable business. The abundant reefs bring in tourists who bring in money which helps create jobs — tourism’s multiplier effect.
In the last 10 to 20 years, residents of Anilao, Malapascua, Donsol and Oslob have seen their communities prosper. A steady stream of local and foreign tourists come to interact with unique marine creatures—from the tiny and very colorful nudibranchs of Anilao to the gentle giant whale sharks of Oslob and Donsol to the unique thresher sharks of Malapascua.
The knowledge that the Philippines is the center of the world’s marine biodiversity means little to those who have not seen its real beauty and wondrous existence. This has inspired me to capture images of the most unique, colorful, awe-inspiring, bizarre-looking, majestic creatures I have seen in my dives in different parts of the country. I hope my collection—a virtual representation of the treasures of our seas, ang yaman ng ating karagatan—will inspire people to protect and care for Philippine marine life.
CHSAF would like to thank to those who participated in the webinar. For those who were not able to join , you may click the link below to watch the youtube video.