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Journals/Magazines SEAFDEC Asian Aquaculture

1997 Nature parks for environment education and biodiversity in the Philippines

Bagarinao, Teodora

Aquaculture Department, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center

Bagarinao, T. (1997). Nature parks for environment education and biodiversity in the Philippines. SEAFDEC Asian Aquaculture, 19(3), 8-9, 26-27, 30. http://hdl.handle.net/10862/2908

Downloaded from http://repository.seafdec.org.ph, SEAFDEC/AQD's Institutional Repository Nature matters the AQD Museum and Biodiversity Garden, and the Environment Action Group

Nature parks for environment education and biodiversity conservation in the Philippines

By Teodora Bagarinao, PhD ern Luzon as the first national park in rampant in Bicol National Park, marble is AQD Scientist and Museum Curator 1933. An extinct volcano 1,050 m high, mined in Biak-na-bato National Park, and The incorporation of environment educa­ Mt. Makiling is the most accessible natu­ milkfish pens have proliferated in the tion within the formal system is advancing ral forest from Manila and the best studied Hundred Islands National Marine Park. in the Philippines and the rest of Asia, but forest ecosystem in the country, thanks to These and other alterations of the natural is still relatively underdeveloped and far the students and scientists at the Univer­ landscape by road construction, damming from achieving its holistic and interdisci­ sity of the Philippines-Los Baños. By the of water courses, or excavation, directly plinary objectives, Non-formal environ­ 1980s, the Philippines had 65 ‘national violate the fundamental concept of national ment education through various recrea­ parks’, including ten merely historical sites parks. Past and present efforts towards tional activities, such as visiting nature with no biological or ecological signifi­ proper management of national parks have parks and biodiversity exhibits, can be cance. The rationale and criteria for se­ been hampered by various land-use effective means towards the ‘greening’ of lection of national parks were not clearly conflicts, and lack of political will, funds, the hearts, the minds, and the spirit of the defined and many did not meet IUCN trained personnel, and scientific research. citizens. Awareness of the natural heritage standards. Some national parks have long been generates pride and curiosity; visits and By 1990, there were 233 areas ‘pro­ popular in tourism and thus accessible to first-hand experience generate awe, plea­ tected’ under the categories national parks, Filipinos and foreigners, for example, sure, and hopefully, protectiveness towards game refuges and bird sanctuaries, wilder­ Mayon Volcano, Pagsanjan Falls, Taal nature. The Philippines already has many ness areas, and municipal and barangay Lake-Volcano, and Mt. Makiling. Post­ protected areas, some of which can be used forest parks, but most of these had no man­ cards, posters, tourist brochures, newspa­ as nature parks. But the Philippines must agem ent plans nor enforcem ent of regula­ per and magazine articles, and some books invest more in the environment education tions. After some rationalization, 116 pro­ are available about the more popular des­ of its people by adequately funding and tected areas were identified under the Na­ tinations. Treks and camp-outs in Mt. properly managing these nature parks and tional Integrated Protected Areas System Makiling can be arranged through the other protected areas. (NIPAS) when the NIPAS Law was passed Makiling Conservation Foundation, which in 1992. Ten priority sites (Table 1) were publishes information sheets about the selected in terms of high biodiversity and mountain and its natural history. Well- National parks, reserves, ease of management, and for these, plans established tourist services ferry people to and other protected areas were drawn up for immediate implemen­ and from Pagsanjan and Taal, but neither National parks, as defined by the Interna­ tation. Another ten sites of next priority these nor the hotels bother to provide in­ tional Union for the Conservation of were also lined up provided funds became formation about the geology and natural Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), are available. The objective of the NIPAS is history of these areas. Already, much can relatively large natural areas not materi­ not only to protect the remaining areas of be learned and disseminated from Dr. ally altered by human activity, where ex­ high biodiversity in the Philippines, but Thomas Hargrove’s intriguing book about tractive resource uses are not allow ed, and also to zone these into protected cores and Taal Lake-Volcano and its freshwater- which are established to protect outstand­ multiple-use surroundings where resources adapted sea life, including the sardine ing natural and scenic areas of national or are managed on a sustainable basis by the Harengula tawilis, the ‘maliputo’ jack international significance for scientific, local communities. Caranx ignobilis, the sea snake H ydrophis educational, and recreational uses. The Many national parks have been ex­ sem peri, and a sponge. American government in the Philippines ploited rather than protected. Geothermal The internationally known Banawe established forest reserves as early as 1910 power is extracted in Tiwi Hot Springs in Rice Terraces (up to 1,500 m high and and Governor-General Theodore Albay, Tongonan Hot Springs in Leyte, and Roosevelt declared Mt. Makiling in south­ Mt. Apo in Davao-Cotabato. Logging was

8 SEAFDEC Asian Aquaculture Vol. XIX No. 3 August 1997 nature matters / bagarinao

PNOC's Pook Kalikasan (at 1,300 meters above sea level), and Lake Agco (at 1,200 m) on Mt Apo in southern Philippines.

T A B L E The 1 ten priority sites and the next ten proposed sites for establishment and management under the National Integrated Protected Areas System

Protected area Location Category

Batanes Islands north off Luzon protected seascape and landscape Northern Sierra Madre northeast Luzon natural park Mangyan Heritage Mindoro natural park Apo Reef Mindoro marine natural park Mt. Canlaon National Park Negros natural Park Siargao Island northeast Mindanao wildlife sanctuary Agusan Marsh eastern Mindanao wildlife sanctuary Mt. Kitanglad central Mindanao natural park Mt. Apo National Park southern Mindanao natural park Turtle Islands Sulu Sea marine natural park

Mt. Pulog north central Luzon Subic-Bataan National Park western Luzon Bicol National Park southern Luzon Mt. Isarog National Park southeastern Luzon Bulusan Lake southeastern Luzon Malampaya Sound western Palawan Coron Island north off Palawan Taklong Island south off Guimaras marine reserve Rajah Sikatuna National Park Cebu Mt Malindang northwestern Mindanao

2,000 years old) have not been declared a national park despite its cul­ tural and biological significance. Thankfully, the Ifugao rice terraces, including those in Banawe, have recently been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Protection is urgently needed as the rice terraces are eroded and B anaw e town and V iewpoint 4 km aw ay are ‘uglified’ by tourist com ­ merce. The less visited rice terraces in Batad are in better shape. Mindoro Island has many natural wonders to offer. Naujan Lake, the third largest lake in the country, is a national park and the type locality of the endemic Crocodylus mindorensis and the carp P u n tiu s hem ictenus. It is also an important staging and wintering area for large numbers of ducks and other water birds, and has a high diversity of migratory fishes impor­ tant to fisheries. Puerto Galera, which had good coral reefs and beaches was declared a Man and the Biosphere Reserve, but tourism has taken its toll. Apo Reef and the Mangyan Heritage Park are now priority NIPAS sites (Table 1). Palawan province may be the best ecotourism destination in the Phil­ ippines today. The whole of Palawan island was gazetted as a game ref­ uge and wildlife sanctuary in 1967, as a mangrove swamp forest reserve in 1981, as a flora and fauna and watershed reservation in 1982, and also

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SEAFDEC Asian Aquaculture Vol. XIX No. 3 August 1997 9 jump page

visitors’ center where people can be briefed of Lanao Lake and Agus River for Nature matters/ from p 9 about the significance of the park and its megahydropower. Maria Cristina Falls ecosystems. The Kidapawan Tourism downstream can now be seen only by ap­ Council registers climbers at the pointment and only in half its glory be­ as a Man and Biosphere Reserve. Lake Kidapawan Museum, whose main display cause of the hydropower operations, but Manguao, the only lake in Palawan has is a model of the 701-hectare concession the area around it is well preserved like a three endemic species of fish and is sur­ of the Philippine National Oil Company park. Lanao Lake used to have a very di­ rounded by high-quality monsoonal forest. (PNOC) on Mt. Apo. PNOC maintains verse endemic fish fauna: 13 species of Main attractions include the St. Paul Sub­ Pook Kalikasan, a visitors’ center with a P un tius (= B arbodes or B arbus), and five terranean River, El Nido Marine Reserve, tree nursery, a botanical garden, a tribal species in four new genera of Cyprinidae. Calauit Island and Ursula Island game ref­ livelihood training center, and the near- Of these 18 endemic carps, only the uges and bird sanctuaries, and Ulugan Bay boiling Lake Agco (at 1,200 m elevation) ‘tum aginting’ Puntius siran g can be fished and Malampaya Sound with their old- nearby. Between Lake Agco and the Mt. at the present time; the others went extinct growth mangrove forests. Apo peak is three days’ trek through for­ in the 1970-80s due to competition and pre­ The Tubbataha Reef National Marine ests, meadows, hot and cold springs, and dation by introduced fishes such as the Park in the middle of the Sulu Sea has be­ around waterfalls and crater lakes. Scien­ white goby Glossogobius giurus. come a favorite dive site and has been de­ tific expeditions have found very high Several marine parks and sanctuaries clared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. biodiversity on Mt. Apo. For example, Fr. have been established through the efforts The marine biodiversity at Tubbataha is Enrique Schoenig and other biologists of universities. Dr. Angel Alcala of fast becoming well known, but not as fast from the University of San Carlos collected Silliman University pioneered this work in as management problems have set in. in 1974 more than 390 species of plants Sumilon Island and extended it to Tubbataha has some of the best coral reefs along with 337 species of insects, includ­ Pamilacan, Balicasag, Apo, and similar is­ remaining in the Philippines; most of the ing 40 species of mosquitoes. land reefs in the Visayas. The Taklong reefs elsewhere have been degraded by Initao National Park and Malindang N ational M arine R eserve in Guim aras, de­ siltation, destructive fishing, and tourism. N ational Park are not w ell know n nor vis­ clared in 1990, started out as a marine field Many other national parks are un­ ited and only recently have efforts been station of the University of the Philippines- known or hardly accessible to the average made to document biodiversity in these and Visayas. Indeed, research in biodiversity Filipino and do not now contribute to rec­ three other new protected areas in north­ and resource m anagem ent in protected ar­ reation, environment education, science, ern Mindanao. These parks have no ameni­ eas is often done by state colleges and uni­ nor livelihood through ecotourism. The ties for the public, except some trails, and versities with support from international Callao Caves in Cagayan, Libmanan Caves they all suffer from habitat destruction, log­ funding agencies and private foundations. in Camarines Sur, and the Sohoton Natu­ ging, hunting, and encroachment of squat­ For example, Isabela State University, ral Bridge in Samar all need some studies, ters. Agusan Marsh and Liguasan Marsh Conservation International, and protection, and advertizing as national have some of the last remaining large Biodiversity Conservation Network work parks and spelunking sites. Bulusan Lake populations of endangered wildlife, includ­ in the Palanan Wilderness Area, now called and Volcano, Mt. Isarog, and Bicol Na­ in g Crocodylus porosus an d C. the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park. tional Park (a lowland forest) are not as mindorensis. Liguasan Marsh was declared The Protected Areas and Wildlife Bu­ w ell know n as their neighbors M ayon Vol­ a game refuge and bird sanctuary in 1941 reau (PAWB) of the DENR is responsible cano or Tiwi Hot Springs. Nearby are and has stayed relatively pristine. The for the management, protection, sustain­ Lakes Buhi, Bato, and Manapao, which are peace and order situation in Cotabato has able development, and rehabilitation of home to the endemic ‘sinarapan’ goby not been stable. protected areas to ensure the conservation Mistichthys luzonensis. At 1.2 cm adult Lanao Lake (second largest in the of biodiversity for national economic and size, ‘sinarapan’ is the world’s smallest country) is not a national park, but nearby social development. PAWB collaborates commercial fish and is threatened due to Sacred Mountain and five other locations with non-government organizations in overfishing and predation by the introduced in Lanao del Sur were declared national many aspects of environment education tilapia. There is also hardly any informa­ parks in 1965. Lanao Lake is the lifeblood and wildlife conservation. PAWB and the tion about the national park in Iloilo, the of about a million Muslim Maranaos de­ A sian W etlands Bureau worked for the es­ three in Cebu, the four in Leyte, nor those pendent on it and the surrounding water­ tablishment of the Olango Island Wildlife in Mindanao, except a few. shed for water, fish, rice, livelihood, trans­ Reserve, an important staging area for mi­ Mt. Apo (3,143 m high and the high­ portation, and cultural and religious iden­ gratory shorebirds, particularly the endan­ est in the country) is the most popular na­ tity. Unstable political relations with the tional park in Mindanao, but there is no Christians have been aggravated by the use

26 SEAFDEC Asian Aquaculture Vol. XIX No. 3 August 1997 gered Asian dowitcherLimnodromus parks and natural areas of the world’s ma­diverse plant collection. Nayong Pilipino semipalmatus. Under the Debt-for-Nature-jor cities, such as Central Park in New Yorkis a good concept and a potentially stimu­ Swap Program, PAWB, the World Wild­City and the Golden Gate Park in San Fran­lating urban park, but the commercial ac­ life Fund, and the Haribon Foundationcisco, provide opportunities for recreation,tivity in the regional house replicas has not manage the El Nido Marine Reserve andrelaxation, and education, as well as habi­been regulated and several houses have St. Paul Subterranean River National Parktats for a wide variety of species. Lessdegenerated into shabby shops and in Palawan and the Mt. Pulog Nationalgrand but also important, the Lunetaeateries. Na­ Instead of just selling souvenirs Park in northern Luzon. tional Park in Manila and the Ninoyand food, the house replicas had better fea­ Aquino Parks and Wildlife Nature Centerture exhibits and descriptions of human life Urban parks and Quezon Memorial Circle provide mil­and the natural ecosystems in the different lions of Metro Manilans respite from regions an of the country. Funding can come and plazas overcrowded polluted existence. from entrance fees, which will increase Biodiversity in urban areas must be pro­Nayong Pilipino near the Manilawhen in­ more visitors come for educational tected for both utilitarian and aesthetic rea­ternational airport is mostly an architec­and entertaining treats other than cheap sons: shade, cooling, noise abatement,tural pol­ and cultural display, but also has an lution control, and architecture. The greataviary, aquarium, fishing lagoon, and a page 30

Training needs from / p 6 ents from each country varied in termsAQD of were given high priority. In addi­that brackishwater aquaculture for fish and priority short-term training needs. High­tion, training courses on aquaculturecrustaceans re­ has the highest demand until est priority was given a value of 10 search and and extension methodologies,year inte­ 2000. This is followed by freshwater lowest, 1. Short-term training is definedgrated and intensive farming systems,aquaculture, aquaculture management, and as that which requires “hands-on” trainingmanagement of aquatic resources and fishthe health management. There is also a with a duration of 2 months or less. environment, aquaculture economicsneed and for short-term training on aquaculture The results of the survey indicate thatfish genetics were also deemed important.research methodology, culture of natural all short-term training courses offered by In the Philippines, the survey indicates page 28

TA B L E 3 Ranking of priority short-term training needs

PHIL MALAY SING THAI INDO INDIA CHINA SRI HK CAM NEPAL

Brackishwater Aquaculture 1 4 10 2 1 1 10 2 Freshwater Aquaculture 2 4 7 6 8 2 9 2 Aquaculture Management 2 1 2 4 5 7 5 3 3 1 4 Fish Health Management 3 1 3 5 3 3 1 4 1 3 1 Aquaculture Research Methodology 4 1 4 3 9 8 2 4 Culture of Natural Food Organisms 5 1 3 2 4 7 2 3 Fish Nutrition 6 3 1 3 6 5 8 2 3 5 Marine Fish Hatchery 7 2 3 1 2 1 7 7 Shrimp Hatchery Operations 7 5 6 7 4 6 Aquaculture Extension Methodology 7 4 9 10 5 5 1 6 Integrated Fish Farming 8 10 9 1 Fry Collection. Handling & Storage 9 5 9 4 Sanitation and Culture of Tropical Bivalves 5 6 6 9 6 Artemia Culture 10 3 8 8 5 10 Management of Aquatic Resources & the Environment 1 7 Intensive Farming System 1 Aquaculture Economics 2 Fish Genetics 3

SEAFDEC Asian Aquaculture Vol. XIX No. 3 August 1997 27 jump page

Nature matters/ from p 27 1997 AQD TRAINING COURSES handicraft items. The people manning the Culture of Natural Food March 5 to April 3 house replicas have to be w ell-trained tour Aquaculture Management April 1 to 30 guides knowledgeable about the regional Fish Health Management April 15 to May 26 cultures and ecosystems. Damaged urban ecosystems such as Marine Fish Hatchery June 9 to July 29 Manila Bay, Pasig River, and Laguna de Freshwater Aquaculture Septem ber 2 to O ctober 10 Bay can be changed from ecological liabili­ Fish Nutrition October 23 to December 3 ties to assets that are useful for both in­ creasing diversity and protecting natural For application forms and further information, please contact: systems. Information campaigns must ac­ com pany ongoing rehabilitation efforts and Training and Information Division continue thereafter. Part of this campaign SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department can be launched in nature parks and pla­ Tigbauan, Iloilo 5021, Philippines zas in Metro Manila as well as on televi­ sion (where, for example, the ‘Piso para Tel/fax: 63 (33) 336 2891 sa Pasig’ ad is quite effective). E-mail: [email protected] Plazas adjacent to churches and gov­ ernment centers are found in every city and For local applicants who wish to apply for fellowships, contact: town in the Philippines. Many plazas al­ ready have beautiful gardens, but others Mr. Joemari Gerochi still have lifeless concrete. Local govern­ Undersecretary and SEAFDEC Council Director ments and sectoral organizations had bet­ Department of Agriculture ter operate their plazas as nature parks, Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City 1104 where human activities (basketball, dances, others) are balanced with the pro­ FAX: 0 (2) 927 8405 vision of space for plants and wildlife and for educating people about nature and the For fellowship applicants from other countries, environment. please contact your respective SEAFDEC Council Director. Many Filipinos now spend a lot of time in glitzy shopping malls, partly for lack of good alternatives in terms of nature recreation. If some of the time and money can be diverted to nature recrea­ tion from ‘mailing’, gambling, and even drinking and smoking, then young people may grow to become nature-conscious citizens with the hearts and minds to act for the environment.

Note Full citations / references are given in the original paper that has been accepted for publication in Ambio entitled Nature parks, museums, gardens, and zoos for biodiversity conservation and environment education in the Philippines.

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