WITH ALL the environmental challenges Boracay Island is facing, the importance of a pending measure in Congress must be highlighted – a bill seeking the establishment of marine protected areas or MPAs in all coastal municipalities and cities.
An MPA refers to a defined area of the sea established and set aside by law, administrative regulation, or any effective means, in order to conserve and protect a part of or the entire enclosed environment through the establishment of management guidelines. It is a generic term that includes all declared areas governed by specific rules or guidelines in order to protect and manage activities within the enclosed area.
As we have witnessed, environmental negligence is very costly and dangerous, and this proposed law discourages. The bill aims to strengthen the fisheries sector through the protection and preservation of the country’s marine resources.
MPAs may take the following forms, any one or combination of which may comprise the MPA: marine reserve, marine park, and marine sanctuary. A marine reserve refers to an area where access and uses (whether extractive or non-extractive) are regulated or controlled for specific uses or purposes, while a marine park is a type of marine reserve where conservation-oriented recreation, education, and research are emphasized. On the other hand, marine sanctuary is a defined area established and set aside exclusively for the purpose of protecting habitats and species through the prohibition of all extractive uses and strict regulation of non-extractive uses.
Under the proposed measure, MPAs will be established in all coastal municipalities and cities within municipal waters covering a minimum total area of 10 hectares, in accordance with an integrated community-based conservation program and coast resource management plan.
The State is mandated to ensure that the requirements of sustainability are observed in the utilization of marine resources by its citizens. To this end, it must promote a culture of responsible stewardship of the environment that is anchored on the desire to be in harmony with nature. Thus, where human carelessness and disregard have resulted in destruction and damage, the State shall take the necessary measures to restore ecological balance and beauty.
