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World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) case
study on Tubbataha reefs reports that in the early 1980s local and
foreign scuba divers discovered Tubbataha whose remoteness
appealed to them. From March to June, their presence helped deter
illegal fishing. However, the divers’ unregulated activities also
had a negative impact on the reefs by way of anchor damage, the
dumping of wastes and the collection of wildlife. Some divers were
also into spear fishing, and some would light bonfires on the islets
driving away nesting birds and turtles.
As early as
1981, Tubbataha was attracting researchers evidenced by the studies
on corals, fishes and seabirds. Beginning 1984, specific research
sites were being monitored more regularly on both the north and
south atolls. Toward the end of the decade, the increasing evidence
of damage on the reefs and wildlife led to efforts to place
Tubbataha under protection.
In 1987
then-Vice-Gov. Arthur Ventura requested the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources to declare Tubbataha a marine park
on the basis of a request from Ernesto Sta. Cruz, a diver and a
member of Task Force Pawikan, a project of the DENR. Thus, on August
11, 1988, President Corazon Aquino signed Presidential Proclamation
306 creating the Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park making it the
first national marine protected area (MPA).
The
proclamation transferred Tubbataha’s management jurisdiction from
the municipal government of Cagayancillo to the national government
through the DENR. It banned the collection and gathering of corals,
wildlife and any marine life and outlawed the disturbance and
destruction of the habitat. This meant that Tubbataha had become off
limits to fishing. However, the implementation of this provision
took a much longer time.
Tubbataha’s
unique and outstanding natural characteristics prompted the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco)
to declare it a World Heritage Site on December 11, 1993. It is the
only purely marine World Heritage Site in Southeast Asia today. On
November 19, 1999, it was inscribed on the List of Wetlands of
International Importance, also known as the Ramsar List.
Thus, within a
span of 2 decades, Tubbataha was transformed from a remote and
unknown marine wilderness into one of the most popular destinations
for fishers, scuba divers and researchers and declared a protected
area by different levels of government and, at the same time, earned
international recognition.
Its
declaration as national park in 1988 necessitated the creation of a
proper management system. Logistics proved difficult, it being an
offshore reef and what was akin to management by trial and error.
The success in managing Tubbataha can be attributed to a management
structure that enabled local stakeholders to take the lead in
decision-making. Management changed hands, from national bodies
based in far-away Metro Manila to the provincial government, with
participation from the national and municipal governments as well as
private organizations. Management of Tubbataha was an evolution of
collaborative management featuring a group that was willing to
experiment on who took the lead until the most workable set up was
found.
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