Marine conservation group Oceana Philippines, local governments and island communities have marked the first anniversary of Republic Act (RA) 12238 on International Whale Sharks Day on August 30.
RA 12238 created the Panaon Island Protected Seascape (PIPS), which safeguards over 60,000 hectares of some of the world’s most climate-resilient coral reefs and critical feeding grounds for the iconic whale shark, locally known as ‘tiki-tiki.’
‘One year down, a lifetime to go! The [PIPS] law has come to life, through the incredible teamwork of local governments, national agencies and stakeholders. Their passion and stewardship are the tide that will lift our fisheries, biodiversity and the coastal livelihoods for generations,’ Von Hernandez, Oceana vice president, said in a statement.
Management board, plan
Within a year of the PIPS declaration, the seascape’s governance and management structures have been put in place.
The multi-stakeholder Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) has been established, and its executive committee has already approved the Protected Area Management Plan (PAMP), a science-based, community-grounded blueprint for coordinated enforcement, ecosystem resilience, and sustainable ecotourism.
The PAMP was developed through the collaboration of Oceana, Southern Leyte State University-Bontoc Campus, the Environment department, the local governments of Liloan, San Francisco, Pintuyan, and San Ricardo on Panaon Island, and the provincial government of Southern Leyte.
The planning process involved consultations with local communities and stakeholders and gathered the commitment of national government agencies and nongovernment organizations to ensure the plan’s grounding in both science and real situations.
Resilient reefs, whale shark haven
The PIPS is part of the world’s 50 priority reefs-classified as likely to withstand the impacts of climate change.
According to Oceana, its surrounding waters are rich feeding grounds not only for tiki-tiki but also for other large marine vertebrates-such as green sea turtles and hawksbill sea turtles.
The rare and endangered blue whale has also been sighted inside the seascape, a testimony to its health.
The surrounding waters of Panaon Island are basically a known interaction site of whale sharks.
Pintuyan Mayor Ricarte Estrella, whose municipality is known to have a large concentration of whale sharks, affirms the commitment of the LGU to ethical tourism and marine conservation.
‘As Pintuyan is known for its whale shark interactions, having Panaon Island as a protected seascape has helped protect and maintain our marine ecosystem. A healthier ecosystem supports more plankton, which is the primary food source of whale sharks. When the marine environment thrives, whale sharks are more likely to stay in our municipal waters, which in turn supports our community livelihoods,’ Estrella explained.
All hands on deck
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is set to establish a Protected Area Management Office on the island to support the daily management of the seascape.
The Department of Science and Technology and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, through its Fisheries and Coastal Resiliency Project, have begun supporting initiatives on sustainable livelihoods and coastal resource management, while opportunities for support from the Department of Trade and Industry and Department of Labor and Employment are being explored.
A landmark provision of RA 12238 mandates speed limits for vessels traversing PIPS waters-designed to protect whale sharks and other marine megafauna from injury, disturbance and death, particularly along migratory pathways and critical feeding zones.
Section 8 of the law directs the DENR, Philippine Coast Guard and other enforcement agencies to adopt appropriate speed regulation policies.
‘The implementation of the Panaon Seascape plan is a testament to what happens when national agencies, local leaders and island communities paddle in the same direction to turn our vision of a living and breathing sanctuary into reality. Together, we are building a legacy of abundance and coastal resilience,’ Hernandez said.
Financing biodiversity
Interviewed via Zoom, Atty. Liza Eisma-Osorio, senior director for Campaigns, Legal and Policy at Oceana Philippines, said that with PIPS being a protected area under the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 2018, protectors of Panaon Island are assured of funding for its sustainable management.
‘There’s already a PAMB. There will be funding, for sure, because this is in the National Expenditure Program,’ Eisma Osorio said.
‘Right after the law was [signed] last year, we worked on finalizing the management plan. The next step is to identify measures that can be implemented,’ she said.
The executive committee has already approved the plan that manages PIPS and is now awaiting for DENR’s approval.
‘We are looking at the mega-fauna. The importance is to manage it. There are many whale sharks in those areas,’ she said, referring to the seasonal visits of whale sharks in the seascape from October to end of June.
‘Go-Slow Zones’
As part of the management plan, protectors of Panaon Island are recommending to declare a ‘Go-Slow Zones’ measure for vessels in areas where whale sharks congregate to feed and play.
‘We are looking at limiting the speed to 10 knots or 18 km/h during this period,’ Eisma-Osorio said.
Since whale sharks are sure to attract tourists, she said they are also planning to create whale shark sighting protocols, together with stakeholders, including the Philippine Coast Guard and the DENR.
They will be enforced in the waters of Pintuyan and San Francisco towns, two of the four municipalities where whale shark congregations are high. There are also sightings in Liluan and San Ricardo, but since they are facing the Dinagat Island, they have high vessel traffic, she explained.
Mining threat
Like other protected areas, PIPS is not oblivious to threats, particularly from mining.
‘There were reports of gold mining on Panaon Island,’ she said. ‘Even though its only small-scale mining, the use of mercury, of course, is a threat to the environment,’ she said.
Moreover, she said that Oceana Philippines also learned that Panaon is being promoted by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau as a potential mining exploration site.
‘This is something we need to look into,’ she said.
Responsible tourism
According to Eisma-Osorio, Oceana Philippines and its partners will push for responsible tourism practices on Panaon, nixing the idea of whale shark feeding being practiced in other sites.
‘We are doing capacity-building, training, risk assessment, and would soon be pushing to have deputized park rangers to protect the island and its surrounding waters,’ she said, making the community co-owners of the tourism industry.
She said they are partnering with educational institutions to craft policies, like the University of Michigan.
Protecting important habitats
International biodiversity expert Theresa Mundita S. Lim, executive director of the Environment Science Institute at Miriam College, said a year after its declaration, Panaon Island Protected Seascape continues to be a reminder why protecting important habitats matters.
‘It is encouraging to see that the governance mechanisms for the protected area are already taking shape, with the establishment of the [PAMB] and the approval of the [PAMP]. These are important early steps toward translating the protection provided by law into meaningful and sustained action on the ground,’ Lim told the BusinessMirror via Messenger on September 2.
‘With the progress is already being made in PIPS-including efforts to regulate vessel speeds, protect critical habitats, and promote responsible tourism, I am hopeful that its charismatic and threatened marine species-foremost among them, the whale shark or tiki-tiki, as well as sea turtles and even the endangered blue whale-will continue to thrive in this rich marine ecosystem,’ Lim added.
Sustaining healthy, productive fisheries
According to Lim, protecting these species and their habitats means sustaining healthy and productive fisheries, supporting the livelihoods of coastal communities and contributing to the country’s food security.
‘The first anniversary of PIPS is therefore worth celebrating. But the honor of being entrusted with such an extraordinary natural heritage carries with it substantial responsibility,’ she said.
‘The challenge now is to ensure that the protection provided by law is sustained through effective governance, adequate resources, sound science, community stewardship, and the continuing commitment of all stakeholders,’ Lim pointed out.
According to Lim, a former DENR-Biodiversity Management Bureau director, and executive director of the Asean Centre for Biodiversity, that at a time when many protected areas face increasing pressures from competing development interests and changing priorities, continued vigilance is essential.
‘Panaon should demonstrate that conservation and development need not at the expense of one another, and that decisions recognize the true ecological, social, and economic value of healthy ecosystems,’ she said.
She added that the goal is for PIPS to remain protected well beyond its first birthday and to become a model of a sustainably and effectively managed protected area-one that can endure through leadership changes and withstand the many pressures and threats confronting our natural ecosystems today.
Charismatic keystone species
‘The presence of both the world’s largest fish and the world’s largest living animals-the whale shark and the blue whale-is no fluke. It is the total validation for the importance of the [PIPS],’ said Gregg Yan, a fellow of The Explorers Club, a society whose ranks include Buzz Aldrin, Jane Goodall and James Cameron.
‘Charismatic keystone species don’t just camp out in ecological deserts. They’re patrons of the ‘Samgyupsal Centers’ of our oceans- areas with almost unlimited amounts of food,’ Yan said.
According to Yan, the presence of whale sharks, blue whales, and other amazing creatures of the sea in the waters of Panaon Island is living proof that the area is healthy and productive.
‘Places like Pintuyan are fully embracing sustainable wildlife ecotourism, advocating for low-impact whale shark tourism, driven by local community members,’ Yan said.
Collective leadership, stewardship
‘The success of Panaon Island’s first year as a protected seascape is a testament to the collective leadership and stewardship of its local governments, communities and fisherfolk, Oceana Philippines, national government agencies, academic institutions, and other partners working together to turn protection into meaningful action,’ said Kristine Kate Lim, country director of Wildlife Conservation Society Philippines Program.
She said that as populations of sharks and other threatened marine species continue to decline globally, protected areas, such as Panaon, provide critical refuges that not only conserve wildlife and their habitats, but also support healthy fisheries, sustainable livelihoods, responsible tourism, and resilient coastal communities.
‘Beyond its local significance, Panaon contributes to the Philippines’ and the global community’s shared commitment to expand and strengthen the effective protection and conservation of biodiversity by 2030,’ she said.