DO YOU KNOW that May the Month of the Ocean? It aims to highlight the importance and significance of conservation, protection and sustainable management of Philippine coastal and marine resources.
Yes, we should unite towards the protection of our high seas and the responsible use of marine resources. There is no question that marine biological diversity is enormously important for our country and the world. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) recognizes this importance and very early came up with a work program on marine biological diversity. However, the CBD is fairly limited to national biodiversity.
It is the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS that governs the use of marine resources in the high seas. But when the UNCLOS was negotiated in the 1980s, we did not yet have the knowledge and insight we now have on marine biological diversity. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations warns that about 80 percent percent of the world’s fisheries are already fully exploited, over exploited or significantly depleted. Moreover, the World Bank states that an estimated $50 billion worth of economic benefits are lost annually due to overfishing.
In the Philippines, among the poorest in are those in coastal communities, with four of 10 coastal residents living under poverty line, despite the fact that the country is located within the coral triangle, at the center of the highest marine diversity in the world. This situation, along with the fact that the Philippines is considered an epicenter of biodiversity and evolution, demands special focus on marine conservation efforts. However, conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity should not be concentrated in individual countries alone.
All nations are interconnected, and an ecosystems approach towards a more holistic, multisectoral, integrated and sustainable coastal management and fisheries, across countries, governments and communities will be beneficial to all.
As different nations living in one planet, we need to unite towards the protection of our high seas and the responsible use of marine resources. We need a united stand for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. We must act now and work together to find the much-needed balance in using the resources of our oceans and protecting its biodiversity.
