A Shangri-La for sea creatures

MANILA, Philippines - Mankind has always relied and thrived on water for life. The earliest civilizations developed in areas near water – from the Tigris-Euphrates river system in ancient Mesopotamia to the Yellow River in China, to the Mediterranean Sea which ministered to Phoenician city-states as well as Byzantine and Ottoman empires.

Modern-day fisherfolk rely heavily on bodies of water for their livelihood. But fishermen nowadays tend to devote more time and effort to net what used to be an hour or two’s worth of catch, and the threats to the marine ecosystem imperils their livelihood.

It all began with greed and denial. Who would not want a bigger income through an easier means of catching fish? Coastal areas silently suffered from dynamite and cyanide fishing, overfishing and muro ami (destructive reef hunting) – until all that was left in the paradise under the sea were damaged habitats and limited marine life.

But what now defines life at the shorelines of Mactan, Cebu was the initiative of communities to undo or at least recover what has been lost.

This was the starting point of the establishment in November 2006 of a five-hectare marine sanctuary in Lapu-Lapu City, located at the Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa, four years after the resort’s management had manifested an interest in pursuing such a project.

The sanctuary was built for the protection and conservation of marine resources. At the forefront of the effort is the resort’s resident marine biologist, Irene Tan.

Tan tells STARweek that while she had developed an interest in biology at an early age, there was no particular event that led her to dream of being a marine biologist.

“All I can remember was that whenever we would go to the beach on weekends, I would always try to look for fishes and corals and wonder how they are living in their world – whether they also have leaders governing them or if they also communicate with one another,” she says.

It was only after sixth grade, she recalls, when she finally decided she wanted to pursue marine biology.

“I realized that I didn’t want to become the next lady president of the country!” she laughs.

Tan and her team started with building artificial coral reefs, as the real ones would take years to form. These fish houses – made from limestone and cement in a dome or pyramid framework – provide breeding sites and serve as good substrates for coral growth.

“To date, the sanctuary is home to at least 123 fish species, which include parrot fish, wrasses, butterfly fish, anemone fish, lizard fish, goat fish, surgeon fish, trigger fish, damsel fish, cardinals, fusiliers, anthias, jacks, hawk fish, cornet fish and trumpet fish, grunts, emperors, snappers, mullets, breams, rabbit fish, barracuda, puffer fish and Moorish idols,” says Tan. “We have also listed at least 33 genera of hard corals.”

Among projects they are looking into are increasing the coral cover and the re-introduction of sea horses, which they undertake in partnership with the University of San Carlos, the Zoological Society of London (Philippines) and iSeahorse.

But Tan is quick to clarify, “We will not re-introduce seahorses into the sanctuary but rather attract them back – if it’s true that they have left the area – by proper habitat management. I say this because it’s possible that they are just there and nobody sees them. These creatures are masters of disguise and it’s not easy for the untrained eye to spot them.”

They are eyeing seahorses because they are endangered, Tan says.

“Millions of seahorses a year are caught and traded, dead and alive. We want to help save this amazing yet vulnerable sea creature... It’s a perfect icon for marine conservation and protection,” she explains.

But while the sanctuary is on its way to recovery, threats remain real and imminent.

“Damage to the reef can come naturally through typhoons but they are mostly caused by man,” Tan points out, noting that during the wet season – with its tropical weather disturbances – fishes tend to go deeper and mostly avoid the surface.

The marine biologist laments that some visitors would step on corals on the assumption that they were mere rocks, and would remove marine life, like clams and fishes, from the reefs.

“Things like these happen because there is a lack of understanding about marine life and the need to protect our resources,” she says.

So, while the sanctuary is open to the public for educational tours and diving and snorkeling activities for a fee, there are also guest engagement programs that seek to raise awareness of environmental issues.

Tan admits that preserving and safeguarding the sanctuary is a “tough job” that is “physically demanding.”

A normal day for her would involve inspecting the sanctuary, both above and below water, and conducting daily Snorkeling Safari tours. She would brief guests on the equipment, snorkeling techniques and behavior in the water.

Underwater, she would lead coral transplantation activities, monitor fish houses, survey the reefs and organize projects when necessary.

But it is not a one-man – or in her case, a one-woman – task.

“I always count on the volunteerism efforts of our colleagues. We also get help from our guests. So everybody is involved,” Tan tells STARweek.

“Maintaining the sanctuary requires teamwork, communication and dedication of the whole team, from the beach staff to the security personnel for research and development, underwater and surface monitoring, guest engagement and educational activities,” she explains.

Tan further says the dream is “to be able to increase biodiversity in the sanctuary or bring it back to how it was before, if not close to how rich it was before.”

And, perhaps, with such proactive concern for an undersea paradise lost, the coastlines of Cebu would one day soon serve as the cradle of marine biodiversity in the world’s coral triangle.