Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — A Japanese government agency is sounding the alarm of an “imminent loss” of Boracay’s marine and coastal ecosystems if the status quo prevails.
In a five-year study of the tourist spot, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and a group of Japanese and Filipino scientists discovered that the island’s coral reef ecosystem has been seriously degraded by tourism-related activities.
The study is part of a larger JICA project called Coastal Ecosystem Conservation and Adaptive Management (CECAM).
After analyzing satellite images, the team calculated that coral cover in Boracay declined by 70.5% between 1988 to 2011. They also noted that that the highest decline over the 23-year period happened between 2008 to 2011, as tourist arrivals rose by 38.4%.
The study attributes the destruction to unmonitored snorkeling and diving actives in Boracay’s coral-rich areas.
Because of the decline, JICA also said that the island is experiencing beach erosion — consequently endangering it’s white sand shoreline. Coral reefs prevent erosion by lessening the impact of strong waves to the beach, the agency said.
“[W]e hope that LGUs [local government units] and policy makers will be able to use scientific and technological from the project [CECAM] to address critical environment issues affecting the study’s pilot sites,” JICA Senior Representative Takahiro Morita said in a statement.
CECAM scientist Miguel Fortes from the University of the Philippines (UP) also noted the “alarming” decrease of water quality — unsafe for swimming and other human activities — in the eastern part of the island.
JICA said that the direct discharge of untreated waste water near the shore could spur algal blooms and coral reef deterioration.
The agency has installed CCTV camera along the beach for real-time monitoring of wave conditions and observation of algal blooms.
“It’s very crucial that the sustainability of Boracay’s environment will not be exchanged for short-term economic gains,” remarked CECAM scientist Ariel Blanco, who also hails from UP.
“We hope to continue working with planners and policy makers in the island through knowledge sharing that will help conserve the coastal environment.”