PCAARRD to continue coral restoration in strategic areas

BAGAC, Bataan – The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) will continue responding to the coral degradation in the country.

“There are still strategic marines areas in the country that need coral restoration”, said PCAARRD Technology Transfer and Promotion Division (TTPD) Director Dr. Melvin Carlos during the turnover here of the completed coral transplantation project to the local government unit of Bagac.

He said 20 sites in the eleven regions of the country including in this town are covered by the PCAARRD coral restoration program.

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and PCAARRD started the Coral Reef Restoration Program in 2012. The program seeks to roll out coral transplantation technology using asexually reproduced corals.

The restoration in Bagac started in 2014 when Sankalikasan Cooperative planted the corals and the Bataan Peninsula State University (BPSU) did the monitoring of the project. PCAARRD provided funding.   

Also present in the turnover were Bagac Mayor Gabriel Del Rosario, Sankalikasan Head retired Army Gneral Jose Mabanta, and BPSU President Greg Rodis.

Carlos earlier said Dr. Kent Carpenter, a world-renowned marine biologist, has recognized the country as “the center of marine biodiversity in the world”. The country’s coral reefs are the largest in Southeast Asia.

But Philippine coral reefs are in serious deterioration and continue to decline in abundance, diversity and habitat structure due to pollution, overfishing, destructive fishing practices using dynamite or cyanide, collecting live corals for the aquarium market and mining coral for building.