City Sanggunian moves to protect Mabaw reef

PUTTING substance to the much hyped environment advocacy that Boholanos have been harping, Tagbilaran City Council passed a landmark ordinance Wednesday that seeks to protect Mabaw reef. Councilor Urbano Lagunay sponsored the ordinance declaring the reef's core zone approximately 9,288 sq.m., and a 100 meter buffer zone surrounding the area as measured from the edge of the reef protected.

Mabaw reef, located approximately three kilometers from the shorelines of Manga, Ubujan and Taloto, is declared a no-take zone for the next five years. This is in order to allow regeneration of fisheries and other aquatic resources in the area. During the ordinance deliberation, Antonio Cabo, a marine biologist from the German Development Foundation and currently working with Participatory Research Organization of Communities and Education Towards the Struggle for Self Reliance (Process) Foundation said they have made a research to study on the area since 2004. “The coral cover of Mabaw reef is still in good condition. However, for the past two years, there have been a sharp decline in fish density in the area. From a catch of about 10 kilos a day in the past, now fisherfolks in Manga, Taloto and Ubujan will be lucky if they generate 2-4 kilos of catch per day”, Cabo said.

The decline in the fish density was attributed to over fishing and illegal fishing practices committed in the area by fisherfolks who are not from Tagbilaran. Dynamite fishers who allegedly came from other neighboring provinces had destroyed a large portion of Mabaw reef. Cabo added that, “once the area is protected and the fish is undisturbed for a period of time, regeneration will take place. As the number of fish in the reef multiples, we can experience a spill-over effect where fisheries from the reef will migrate to other areas in the Maribojoc bay. “This means that Mabaw reef will function as a fish factory, and fisherfolks will be able to catch more fish, ” he stressed. It may be noted that only about 10% of the total area in Maribojoc Bay is protected, making fishery resources very vulnerable to depletion.

The late City Councilor Nerio Zamora, then committee on environmental protection chair actively pushed for the protection of Mabaw reef. The committee study he started was passed on to Councilor Urbano Lagunay Committee who adopted the project. Also itching in for the work were stakeholders, legislative staff assistants, Vice mayor's technical staff and Process Foundation. Coordinating the project is the Barangay Local Government Units of Taloto, Ubujan and Manga under Faro Cabalit, Segundina Botero and Victorioso Claro respectively. The different fisherfolks associations and dive shops based in Tagbilaran were also consulted in the drafting of the ordinance.

Suggestions gathered at the consultations were incorporated into the ordinance to make it reflective of the needs of the stakeholders. According to a Process technical staff, “most of the fisherfolks in Manga, Ubujan and Taloto would like to protect Mabaw. They understand the importance of protecting the reef. They know that if they keep on exploiting the area, minimal regeneration will happen and their fish catch will decline even further, he shared.”

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