Scientists recognize the Philippine archipelago as the world's
centreof marine biodiversity, but the country's rich marine
ecosystem isseverely threatened by pollution from diverse
sources.
"The oceans give our planet life but in return we are emptying
them offish, heating them with climate change, and filling them
with toxicspollution," said Von Hernandez, Greenpeace Southeast
Asia CampaignDirector. "In the Philippines, we find some of our
important marineecosystems suffocating from pollution from
industries, sewage, andtrash. Millions of Filipinos depend on these
marine resources forsurvival, yet we are destroying them at an
alarming rate."
This is the Esperanza's maiden voyage to the Philippines, in a
journeythat started from an action packed face-off with Japanese
whalers inthe Southern Oceans, to chasing pirate fishers in West
Africa. TheDefending Our Oceans expedition aims for the
establishment of a globalnetwork of marine reserves, where 40
percent of the world's oceans isprotected from exploitation.
In the Philippines, Greenpeace will campaign against plastics
pollutionin Manila Bay and draw attention to the damage being
caused byAustralian mining firm Lafayette's toxic spills in the
marine ecosystemof the South Eastern tip of Luzon. The Esperanza
will also highlightthe country's successful implementation of a
community-managed marinereserve in Apo Island, which now provides
food and income to the hostcommunity, and will help promote it as a
model for marine reservesworldwide.
The waters of the Philippines are home to over four hundred
species ofcoral, more than two thousand fish species and are an
important areafor marine mammals, sea turtles, sharks and rays,
including the whaleshark --the world's biggest fish. However, a
scientific study from 2005(1) lists the Philippines as the most
highly threatened centre ofunique marine species, citing the danger
of mass extinction in a scalesimilar to that of the destruction of
the Brazilian rainforests.
"The Philippine government acknowledges habitat degradation,
pollution,and destructive fishing as among the most pressing
threats facing thecountry's marine ecosystems," added Hernandez.
"Yet the government'sclear bias towards exploitation, as shown by
its all-out support fordestructive mining operations which impact
on marine life, proves thatthe government itself has become part of
the problem."
Greenpeace is an independent, campaigning organisation, which
usesnon-violent, creative confrontation to expose global
environmentalproblems, and to force solutions essential to a green
and peacefulfuture.
Other contacts: Von Hernandez, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Campaign Director, +63 917 526 3050Beau Baconguis, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Toxics Campaigner, +63 917 803 6077
VVPR info: http://oceans.greenpeace.org
Notes: (1) 1) Springer, V.G. & K.E. Carpenter. 2005. The center of marine shore fish biodiversity: the Philippine Islands. Environmental Biology of Fishes (2005) http://sci.odu.edu/biology/directory/carpenter_files/CarpenterSpringerEFB2005CenterofCenter.pdf
Exp. contact date: 2006-08-21 00:00:00