Conservation Group Urges Greater Awareness on Plight of Seagrass Beds

BUSUANGA, Palawan (November 28, 2012) – It is a story Leo Cayaban has heard and seen many times over: tourists coming to Busuanga Island in droves to indulge over the scenic mangroves, colorful coral reefs, and rich marine life that the island still has in some abundance. As they arrive, armed with their high performance cameras that look more like blaster rifles from some sci-fi film, Cayaban has grown to understand that seagrass beds are not exactly in the tour itinerary.

As Programme Coordinator for C3 Philippines, an organization working to help conserve the island’s biodiversity, Cayaban knows that finding a way on how to change this ecological bias against seagrass beds is essential to the island’s conservation, considering the role ecotourism has on the local economy.

“Seagrass beds may not come across as attractive to most people, but they are very important,” he said. “People always look dumbfounded whenever I tell them that seagrass capture more carbon dioxide than do forests.”

With support from the Prince Bernhard Nature Fund, C3 Philippines is embarking on a sustained awareness campaign to bring the plight of seagrasses to the forefront of public discussion. The awareness campaign will initially target fishermen and the island’s youth on the importance seagrass beds. “We want to let the fishers knows what’s up with seagrass because, well, it’s their livelihood at stake,” said Cayaban. “We are going after the kids as well because it’s their island and their future we’re talking about here.”

The majestic dugong or sea cow for instance, depends on seagrass beds for survival as this is the animal’s primary source of food. “People come to Busuanga and pay good money to see the country’s few remaining dugongs in the wild,” said Cayaban. “It should be in the island’s best interest to make sure the seagrass beds the dugongs depend on stay there.”

Other marine species such as green turtles, fish, sea urchins and crabs likewise feed on seagrass meadows. There are even fish species that feed on the seagrass while raising their young at the adjacent mangroves and coral reefs. Seagrasses working in tandem with intact coral reefs and mangroves, also serve as natural barriers to storm surges and tsunamis thus protecting life and property of people on the island.

Cayaban observed that seagrass meadows are typically highly adaptable systems but they are not immune to environmental abuse. Nutrients from agricultural runoff going into coastal waters will nurture the growth of harmful algae that grow on the seagrass and keep the plant from receiving much needed sunlight. Siltation and pollution from land-based economic activities can cause coastal waters to become murky further blocking even more sunlight.

C3 Philippines is a non-profit organization working to develop conservation efforts in the Philippines by building the capacity of local individuals and institutions through grassroots research and training initiatives. To find out more please visit www.c-3.org.uk.

Contact:
Leo Rex C. Cayaban, Programme Coordinator
C3 Philippines
Barangay Salvacion, Busuanga Municipality, Palawan Province
Philippines
leo@c-3.org.uk
(63) 0918-5534-702

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This release was published on openPR.