Badoc, Ilocos Norte—As their own way of giving back to the environment, a group of 35 volunteers conducted a two-day coral transplantation activity near Badoc Island in Barangay Pagsanahan Sur in this town in an effort to rehabilitate the damaged coral reef formations here. The group, composed of representatives from the Mariano Marcos State University’s (MMSU) Biology Department, Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary, the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the Badoc municipal government, has transplanted an estimated 1,500 coral fragments to an approximate 800-square meter of explosion-affected area. In an interview with Arthur Valente, coastal resource management coordinator of the PGIN, he reported that at least 20 volunteer divers first removed dead fragments in the blasted portions and replaced them with live fragments attached to a live colony. Badoc has the fourth largest coral reef formations in the province, next only to Pasuquin, Pagudpud and Burgos. Records show that of the approximate 3 hectares of coral reef formation in the said area in 1992, only 15 percent remained in good shape as the remaining 85 percent had been damaged. Some portions could no longer be rehabilitated, Valente noted. “The decrease in area was due to degradation or destruction of the corals due to continuous blasting and poisoning in the area,” Valente added. He further mentioned that another transplantation was done in 2002 to preserve the remaining corals. However, the slabs used and the corals planted to these slabs had been blasted and reduced to rubbles. The few remaining individual corals—such as bowl, cup, mushroom and slipper corals—were also blasted, leaving them broken down into small fragments and rubbles. Despite a multi-sectoral effort to protect our coastal resources, Valente stressed that some coastal residents in the area continue to disregard environmental laws. Valente cited in particular the at least 10 underwater explosions they heard during the two-day coral transplantation activity. The blasts were within and outside the restricted areas and the color of the motorboats believe to have cause the blasts indicated that they were from the town of Badoc and neighboring Sinait in Ilocos Sur. To ensure that the restored coral formation will have maximum growth, the group is set to conduct another inspection and monitoring activity after three months. Valente added that the transplanted corals must undergo at least five years of recovery period, which in turn would need the protection of their natural habitat from outside disturbances such as heavy explosions and cyanide fishing. The coral transplantation program has started a few years earlier but due to financial constraints, the project was not given high priority and was only pursued again this year. In order to transplant one coral, at least P250 is needed for the oxygen requirement and materials used by volunteer divers. With the multi-sectoral unity today, Valente is optimistic that local coastal residents would be further educated properly in the need to save and conserve our natural resources. Leilanie G. Adriano
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