Reality in paradise
Biodiversity under assault in the Philippines
 Philippines: Located in biodiversity hotspot near the equator, the reefs ringing the country's 7,000 islands contain more than 500 of the world's 700 coral species — no other reef system on the planet has greater diversity. The islands are also home to more than 5,000 species of plants and nearly 200 species or birds that are found only in the Philippines. Because the eco-tourism industry attracts millions of visitors to the country every year, preserving reef and terrestrial biodiversity is a priority for development workers. |
 Mountains and lowland rive paddies construct the landscape in the Philippines. Rice is the staple of faily life and the country is the eighth largest producer in the world. Filipino rice farmers can apply for international grant that fund the construction and operation of cooperatively owned rive mills, allowing small-scale farmers to avoid using the expensive genetically modified rice corporate producers raise. |
 The carabao — a domesticated water buffalo — is used for fieldwork, hauling goods from farm to market and for its meat and milk. Most Filipinos are subsistence farmers, raising rice, chickens, vegetables and fruit for their family. International aid organizations are helping farmers establish co-ops and diversify their crops to better compete with corporate rice and fruit plantations. |
 Unrivaled natural beauty conceals trouble brewing in paradise. In 2001, three Americans were kidnapped from a beachside resort by the Abu Sayaf and held for ransom. Only one of the hostages survived. |
 The average Filipino earns about $1 per day and most workers have a difficult time supporting their six or more dependents. Government officials estimate 250,000 abandoned children live on the streets or in the landfills near the captial city of Manila. Peace Corps volunteers in the Philippines have started arts and crafts livelihood programs for homeless children. |
 A fisherman divides his catch before selling it at the local market, a practice that thwarts the job of fish inspectors who examine whole fish for signs of illegal fishing practices. Many fishermen co-ops are now developing and enforcing their own local fishing regulations to protect nad reestablish dwindling fish populations. |
 Peace Corps volunteers and other NGO workers encourage the devlopment of alternative livelihoods such as oyster and seawood farming. This entrepreneurial fisherman displays a growing colony of oysters, which will sell in Japan for high profits. Finding niche specilaty markets as been a successful livelihood strategy in areas where fish aquaculture has already saturated the market and over fishing has caused coral reef decline. |
 Fishermen mend their nets before heading out for a night of work. Most Filipinos in coastal areas depend on fishing as their main livelihood. But industry pressures have dictated that dynamite and cyanide be used for reef fishing, practices that demihnate fishery populations and destroy habitat. Some desperate fishermn also resort to muro ami, forcing children to dive without breaking equipment to scare large schools of fish into waiting nets. Government officials estimate hundreds of children drown each year from muro ami. |
 Mangrove forests serve as an importatn coastal bbuffer zone, protecting sensitive coral reefs from agricultural runoff and soil erosion. The partially aerial roots of the mangrove trees also provide habitat for crustaceans, young fish, amphibians and reptiles. Nongovernment organizations and Peace Corps volunteers have started mangrove replanting projects in areas where the trees have been logged for building materials, charcoal production and to make room for new housing. |
 The tarsier, the world's smallest primate and an endangered species, is found only on a few islands in the Philippines and Indonesia. The nocturnal creature has suddered population losses beacuse of habitat destruction and deforestation. According to Conservation International, only three percent of the country's original forest vegetation remains. Legal and illegal loggin gof valuable mahogany and other rimber has left denuded mountainsides and an increased frequency of deadly mudslides and flash flooding during typhoon season. |
 The Philippines is a nation of 7,000 islands with a total land areas about the size of Arizona. Population growth remains largely uncontrolled in this predominantly Roman Catholic country, where the president openly endorses the rhythm method as effective family planning. Five million people live in Arizona — the current population of the Philippines is 80 million and is projected to reach 130 million over the next 20 years. |
 Filipinos in urban and rural areas rely on the jeepney for mass transportation. The jeeps are on offshoor design of the American military jeeps used in the country during World War II. This jeepney is loaded with freshly harvested rattan, which will be used to make exported wicker furniture. |
 These fish are waiting to be inspected by the local fish examiner before being sold at the market, or palengke. Most market towns employ a fish examiner who is responsible for both revoking the vending license of anyone selling illegally caught fish and levying fines against the fishermen — but socially acceptable graft plays a big part in the paching and smuggling of illegal goods. |
 Filipino villages, or barangays, are often small and remotely located. Most barangays do not have electricity, running water or telephones, but some international development agencies have helped farmer co-ops develop a source of electricity for generators: methane gas collected from pig manure. |
 A man surveys a destroyed bridge just days after a typ[hoon caused extensive flashflooding in the northern Philppines. As illegal logging of mountain forests continues in the country, death and destruction from flooding and landslides follows. In November 2004, more than 600 Filipinos died when their village was covered ny a mudslide following a typhoon. |
| BACK TO TOP |
I admit that when I arrived in the Philippines to begin my service as a Peace Corps Volunteer, I had very little knowledge about the country. I did expect beautiful beaches, a tropical climate and to be utterly confused by cultural differences. I didn’t expect a crash course in the fundamental role natural resources play in national stability. It’s a lesson I will never forget.
The Philippines is one of the hottest spots of biodiversity in the world. Its representation of coral species is unrivaled and its numerous endemic plant and animal species are a miracle of evolution. But loosely regulated resource destruction — including dynamite fishing and intense deforestation — threatens all of these species and the welfare of humans who depend on their survival here.
Since gaining independence from the United States in 1946, Filipinos have gone through much political turmoil, including a dictatorship, periods of martial law, a presidential assassination, the overthrow of two presidents and for the past two decades, fairly successful democratic leadership.
But the multiple regime changes spawned civil unrest, a feudal system of land ownership and three separatist groups — the New People’s Army, Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Abu Sayaf. All three groups claim to want political reformation, but it often seems their main objective is extorting ransoms and bribery to support their dependents in a country where most workers live on $1 a day.
Filipinos now struggle to attain peace in areas of the country where bombings, kidnappings and hijackings have assumed the political spotlight. Meanwhile, international aid organizations have a more difficult time helping those who need relief.
Where they have gained access, numerous nongovernment organizations have established successful programs in alternative livelihoods, eco-tourism, sustainable agriculture and aquaculture, habitat restoration and environmental education. But because political unrest does not usually breed dependable enforcement, the longevity of these programs is in question.
The situation in the Philippines seems the perfect representation of that age-old chicken or egg conundrum. Resource protection and fair land use could lead to political and economic stability. But without political and economic stability, who will be inclined to take care of those valuable but underrated assets? It’s a lesson the entire world can learn from.
 |
||
|
