One of the new sea slug species found in the expedition
The discovery of 300 new species of ocean life in the Philippines should be celebrated, after all, we Filipinos love to self-deprecate; it’s nice to hear that this place isn’t all bad. It never was. It isn’t a surprise that the country’s waters are so diverse; our divers have known that for years. What is surprising is that we never took the time to truly be proud of it. In a country that is so full of natural beauty, it may be inevitable that we who live there take so many things for granted. Maybe it’s time to start paying more attention.
In the report of National Geographic on the discovery, alongside the excitement of the scientists about their discovery, they also noted that, “every single trawl had trash in it” according to Meg Burke, California Academy’s director of teacher and youth education who was part of the expedition. ”Plastic, parts of plastic bags, bottles, even dirty diapers—things like that. So the impact of humans on the marine ecosystem was blatantly clear.” (Quotes from Rachel Kaufman’s report in National Geographic)
A "pancake" sea slug
Isn’t it about time we finally started to acknowledge just how nice this country is and start taking care of it? Ecotourism has become a growing industry in the Philippines. Imagine if we could use discoveries like this to help us not only improve our tourism, but also give jobs to (potentially) thousands of Filipinos while taking care of our environment at the same time. Wouldn’t that be a great thing?
New species of crab
But it has to start somewhere. And, if the reports of the scientists are any indication, it should start with simply cleaning up. But how do we convince the people to stop chucking their trash into what looks like an endless, eternally accepting, ocean? One is to show them that what lives there can be affected by the trash they throw. The recent fishkills in Luzon were the result of indiscriminate feeding and waste management; the waters became too toxic for the fishes. Similarly, trash can affect the ecosystems that surround the country, and thus affect what is a source of livelihood for these communities.
The other thing is to show them that protecting the environment can actually, directly, benefit them. The shark guides in Bohol used to hunt the whale sharks for meat. When they realized that they could actually make more money protecting the sharks, and simply guiding people to watch them, they quickly abandoned the hunting and became guides. A similar model can be used for communities throughout the country, where they could actually do two things at the same time: protect the environment and earn an income.
It’s tempting to say that “Government should…” but, let’s be honest, government can’t. Not right now, with so much on their plate. Perhaps it’s time for other groups and organizations to pitch in and turn this into something more than just a nice piece of news and into a real opportunity.
Images are from National Geographic.com and livescience.com.
