PUERTO PRINCESA CITY—The management office of the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park called on residents and visitors of Palawan to educate themselves against throwing garbage and other debris into the sea as they threaten its health.
The Tubbataha Management Office made the appeal Wednesday because they continue to collect garbage in the world-famous reefs and dive spot.
Angelique Songco of the TMO said despite incessant pleas to the public, they continue to collect marine wastes and debris in the Tubbataha Reefs that threaten the health of its corals and marine life.
Just a few weeks ago, Songco said they discovered several dead birds in Tubbataha Reefs during a regular cleanup drive.
In the classification of the wastes and debris that park rangers were able to collect, most were plastic wrappers of imported products that they suspect came from cruise and other international ships that traverse the Sulu Sea route.
The others were identified to have possibly come from residents of coastal areas in Palawan and other nearby provinces.
“The Tubbataha Reefs’ protection is very important because it serves as a food basket of the Philippines. If its marine life is threatened, food security is also threatened. We are preserving this so that the next generation can benefit, too,” she said.
“More than anything, the support of the public is important in ensuring the sustainability of Tubbataha that churns out the fish they eat every day,” she said.
The park contains roughly 10,000 hectares of coral reef, lying at the heart of the Coral Triangle—the global center of marine biodiversity.
Scientists have been visiting these reefs since the 1980s, and their research has shown that Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park is home to no less than 600 species of fish; 360 species of corals (about half of all coral species in the world); 11 species of sharks; 13 species of dolphins and whales; 100 species of birds, and also nesting Hawksbill and Green sea turtles.