Verde Island Passage Research Articles

CURRENT STATUS OF THE WATER QUALITY OF VERDE ISLAND PASSAGE IN LOBO, B ATANGAS PROVINCE, PHILIPPINES

The study aimed to assess the current status of water quality of Verde Island Passage in Lobo. The researchers evaluat ed the water quality of Verde Island Passage in terms of 14 parameters such as color, turbidity, pH, temperature, DO, BOD, tss, oil and grease, nitrate, phosphate, copper, lead, mercury and total coliform which were determined using the Standard Methods fo r Examination of Water and Wastewater (SMEW). Composite water samples were taken from approximately one kilometer from the shoreline of the five sampling stations namely Brgy. Banalo, Brgy. Masaguitsit and Fabrica, Brgy. Lagadlarin and Olo olo, Brgy. Sawan g and Soloc, and Malabrigo of Verde Island Passage of Lobo. These parameters were analyzed by an accredited Analytical Testing Laboratory of Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Results of this study were compared per sampling stations, based on the standards criteria set by the DENR and to the results the study conducted in 2009 by Gonzales et al. Results showed that the physico chemical properties in terms of color, phosphate, copper and mercury values are the same for the five sampling stations. While the values of turbidity, temperature, tss, pH, DO, oil and grease, BOD, nitrate, lead and total coliform varied. Based on the analysis of the 14 parameters, Verde Island Passage along Lobo Coast did not conform the standards set by DAO 34 90 for Class SB. The value of oil and grease in 2009 was improved as compared to its present values for each sampling station. Verde Island Passage along Lobo Coast was polluted in terms of lead.

Assessing the Economic Impacts of Marine Protected Area in Quilitisan, Calatagan, Batangas: An Input to Coastal Resource Management

One of the management goals of the Verde Island Passage Marine Corridoris to increase the area and numbers of well managed Marine Protected Areas bythe year 2018. The establishment and maintenance of these MPAs are faced withissues on sustainability. The question on whether they create economic sense isanswered by looking into the generation of benefits that are at least equal tothe costs they incur. Employing the descriptive method of study, it assessed themangrove related ecotourism impacts inside the MPA of Quilitisan, CalataganBatangas. Secondary data came from the management of the Calatagan Mangrove Forest Conservation Park (CMFCP). The study revealed that compared to the estimated number of visitors in the nearby resorts, the park is still behind on thenumber of its visitors. Relying heavily on its revenue from entrance fees, servicesrentals and donations, its operation is not that sustainable as it lacks a fund formaintenance and site development. With the survey and FGDs conducted, itwas deduced that the ecotourism experience being offered by the CMFCP is satisfying to the visitors as reflected on their mean value of their WTP amountingto Php 150.00 which is higher than the current payment scheme. The value iscommensurate with the raise that the management plans to implement.Keywords: Marine Ecology, economic valuation, coastal resource management,willingness to pay, marine protected area, tourism impacts, ecotourism, Batangas,Philippines

Developing Marine Protected Area Networks in the Coral Triangle: Good Practices for Expanding the Coral Triangle Marine Protected Area System

The Coral Triangle Marine Protected Area System aspires to become a region-wide, comprehensive, ecologically representative and well-managed system of marine protected areas (MPAs) and MPA networks. The development of this system will proceed primarily through the implementation of ecological, social, and governance MPA networks at the sub-national scale. We describe six case studies that exemplify different approaches taken to develop MPA networks in the Coral Triangle region at different scales: Nusa Penida in Indonesia; Tun Mustapha Park in Malaysia; Kimbe Bay in Papua New Guinea; Verde Island Passage in the Philippines; The Lauru Ridges to Reefs Protected Area Network in Choiseul, Solomon Islands; and Nino Konis Santana Park in Timor Leste. Through synthesis of these case studies, we identify five common themes that contributed to successful outcomes: (1) the need for multi-stakeholder and cross-level management institutions; (2) the value of integrating cutting-edge science with local knowledge and community-based management; (3) the importance of building local capacity; (4) using multiple-use zoning to balance competing objectives; and (5) participation in learning and governance networks. These lessons will be invaluable in guiding future efforts to expand the Coral Triangle Marine Protected Area System, and provide important insights for MPA practitioners elsewhere.

A framework for vulnerability assessment of coastal fisheries ecosystems to climate change—Tool for understanding resilience of fisheries (VA–TURF)

Vulnerability assessment (VA) is increasingly developed and utilized in various sectors and fields of society. VA provides a better understanding of the interactions among system, pressures, and threats, which serves as a basis for targeted adaptation strategies. The framework or tool named tool for understanding resilience of fisheries (VA–TURF) was developed to assess the vulnerability of the coastal fisheries ecosystems in the tropics to climate change. VA–TURF has three major components, namely, fisheries, reef ecosystem, and socio-economics. Although each component has intrinsic properties, the three components are strongly interrelated. Indicators associated to sensitivity, exposure, and adaptive capacity were developed for each component of TURF. The exposure variable used was wave. VA–TURF uses information obtained through rapid assessments except for the reef ecosystem component. The analytical approach for integrating scores is straightforward and devoid of highly sophisticated mathematical methods. The utility of VA–TURF primarily considers the fishers of a coastal community (barangay) as the major stakeholder, thereby facilitating familiarization and community ownership of the tool. VA–TURF was demonstrated in all the coastal barangays of two island municipalities (Lubang and Looc, Occidental Mindoro, Philippines) located along the Verde Island Passage, which has the world's highest marine shore fish biodiversity. Local stakeholders such as fishers, barangay leaders, residents, and local executive staff of the two municipalities participated in the process of scoring and determining the vulnerability of the sites during a series of workshops. The local-level fisheries vulnerability assessment framework developed encourages community-level actions and provides opportunities for strategic actions and scaling-up of efforts at various governance levels.

Sensitivities of coral reefs in the Verde Island passage to climate change

The Verde Island Passage (VIP) is located at the center of marine shorefish biodiversity in the Philippines. It is under tremendous amount of stress from natural and anthropogenic impacts. A vulnerability assessment of the VIP’s coral reef areas to climate change, particularly elevated sea-surface temperatures (SST), increased storminess and sea-level rise (SLR) is presented. Potential impacts on live hard coral cover due to increasing SST ranged from 3% to 22% loss. These projections were based on the high percentage covers of thermally sensitive coral families such as acroporids and pocilloporids. Potential impacts on diversity attributed to high SST ranged from 0.8% to 1.6% based on species-area curves and 10% to 49% based on sensitivities of coral genera from available literature. Estimated live hard coral cover and diversity loss due to the impact of storms ranged from 12.5% to 37.5% and 7% to 22%, respectively. Sea-level rise had the lowest impact on reef cover and diversity, resulting to an estimated loss of 4% to 7% in coral cover and 0.60% to 0.80% in coral diversity. Impact on reef fishes was measured based on their dependence and association with corals. Percentage loss of reef fish species richness and abundance ranged from 9% to 16% and 12% to 54%. These projected impacts on the health and biodiversity of the coral reefs of the VIP are conservative but still significant. The towns and communities surrounding the passage should not be complacent and should increase their efforts to protect and manage their coral reef areas.

English

Abstract : High-resolution coupled atmosphere-ocean simulations of the Philippines show the regional and local nature of atmospheric patterns and ocean response during Intensive Observational Period cruises in January-February 2008 (IOP-08) and February-March 2009 (IOP-09) for the Philippine Straits Dynamics Experiment. Winds were stronger and more variable during IOP-08 because the time period covered was near the peak of the northeast monsoon season. Distinct wind jets between islands and wakes behind islands are common northeast monsoon features that are controlled by winds interacting with island topography. The modeled upperocean flow associated with Philippine straits during IOP-08 exhibits large (> 1 m s-1) westward mean flow through Suriago Strait and highly variable flow through Mindoro Strait. The model shows prominent eddies in the Bohol Sea and Cuyo East Pass that were also observed during the field experiment. A high-resolution nested simulation of the Verde Island Passage finds local wind-driven upwelling that is confirmed by shipboard sea surface temperature measurements and satellite observations of chlorophyll concentration.

Baseline Assessment of Seagrass Communities of Lubang and Looc Islands, Occidental Mindoro, Philippines

The Lubang and Looc Islands in Occidental Mindoro are located west and form part of the Verde Island Passage (VIP), an ecologically important corridor linking the South China Sea and the Philippine internal waters. The VIP has also been labelled as a regional hotspot for tropical marine biodiversity, highlighting the need for management and conservation efforts that are science-based. Thus, this assessment was done to provide baseline data on the seagrass beds of the Lubang and Looc Islands. Thirteen sites were surveyed around the Lubang and Looc Islands, Occidental Mindoro on April 13 - 17, 2009. The seagrass beds are generally multispecific meadows that are characterized by both continuous and patchy meadows, with cover ranging from 0.62% to 59.49%. Eight seagrass species were observed, with Thalassia hemprichii and Cymodocea rotundata the most ubiquitous. Shoot densities observed in the area are generally high (mean = 961 shoots·m -2 ), and composite leaf biomass (mean = 212.70 gDW·m -2 ) is comparable to other seagrass beds surveyed in other sites in the country. The observed kaingin practices in the uplands pose the greatest threat to the seagrass ecosystems of the area because of the long-term domino effect of erosion and sedimentation on the seagrass beds. However, fisheries practices also need to be quantified to determine hierarchy of anthropogenic disturbance that causes habitat fragmentation of the seagrass beds of Lubang and Looc Islands.

Analysis of seismicity of central Luzon by pattern recognition

The distribution of large shallow earthquakes (magnitude ⩾5.5) in central Luzon, Philippines, related to the underthrusting of the Eurasian plate, is examined by the technique of pattern recognition. The objective of the study is (1) to forecast restricted zones of seismic activity, (2) to determine geological features which, in combination, are associated with the earthquakes in the environment of subduction, and (3) to determine whether more insight into regional seismicity can be gained by pattern recognition studies than by conventional seismicity studies. It appears from this analysis that large earthquakes occur (a) in a zone between the shallower portion of Manila Trench on its landward side and the belt of volcanoes and (b) on large strike-slip faults in the region such as Verde Island Passage fault and the Philippine fault. In these zones, large earthquakes occur at locations identified by large topographic relief in the vicinity and a high degree of fractured crust. In contrast to characteristics in California and central Asia, the intersection of faults nearby is not a major characteristic for large earthquakes in and near central Luzon. Topography and degree of fractured crust are important characteristics in all areas studied so far. Several earthquakes which are known to have occurred were considered unknown, and control experiments were carried out to determine whether the locations of these earthquakes would be identified as having potential for large earthquakes. The results of control experiments indicate that the pattern recognition technique is fairly successful in spatial forecasting if the known historical record is assumed almost complete for various major zones (85% in this case). It fails to forecast if information is totally lacking about earthquake activity on a tectonic feature. In the present study, a control experiment was able to correctly identify the locations of two of the largest earthquakes known to have occurred in the area. It was better able to identify locations of large earthquakes than a simple contouring of known earthquake locations would suggest.

Microearthquake surveys in the Central and Northern Philippines

abstract Microearthquake surveys were carried out in three sections of Central and Northern Philippines during 1975-1976 for a period of 5 months. A 4-month survey of Bataan Peninsula identified a major tectonic feature near Manila Bay which could not have been postulated from examination of seismicity maps. This feature appears to be situated near the southern end of ultramafic rocks of West Central Luzon and West Luzon Trough and trends W-SW from east of Corregidor Island toward Manila Trench for a distance of about 100 km. This survey also showed no microearthquake activity beneath two presently inactive volcanoes on Bataan Peninsula. The rate of activity in Bataan Peninsula region was found to be very low (8.4 events/1000 km2/yr). A short-duration survey (16 days) of the Philippine Fault in North Central Luzon revealed no microearthquake activity on the fault. During a third short-duration survey (16 days), the Verde Island Passage area between Luzon and Mindoro was found to be as highly active at the microearthquake level as it is for large earthquakes.