PANAON ISLAND IDEKLARANG PROTECTED AREA

DAHIL sa banta ng malawakang pagkasira ng habitat ng Panaon Island sa Southern Leyte, nais ni Senator Cynthia A. Villar na ideklara itong protected area.

“Despite the presence of extensive coral reefs and vibrant fish communities, the abundance and biomass of commercially important species show signs of overfishing,” noted Villar.

Dahil dito, inihain ni Villar ang Senate Bill No. 1690 na tatawaging “Panaon Island Protected Seascape Act of 2023”.

Base sa rekord at suitability assessments ng DENR Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB), marami pang lugar sa bansa ang kailangang gawing ‘protected area’ at isa sa mga ito ang Panaon Island Seascape.

Nasa apat ng munisipalidad- Liloan, San Francisco, Pintuyan at San Ricardo ang Panaon Island Seascape na nasa dulo ng Southern Leyte.

Binigyan diin ni Villar, chairperson ng Senate committee on environment and natural resources, na kilala ang Panaon Island sa dekalidad na coral reefs.

“With 41% of the coral reefs surveyed (11 of 27), it is estimated to have greater than 50% hard coral cover – a rarity in the country nowadays.

“Reef-associated fish communities at the different reef areas around Panaon Island were found to have moderate richness and very high abundance,” ayon kay Villar.

“Endemic wildlife such as Philippine ducks or Anas luzonica and the endangered whale shark or Rhincodon typus species are frequently sighted around the island,” dagdag pa ni niya.

Iginiit din ng senador na kabilang ang Panaon Island sa 50 priority reefs sa buong mundo na kakayanin ang mga nakasisirang epekto ng climate change. Sanhi nito, kailangan itong pangalagaan at protektahan.

Sa kasalukuyan, ang Pilipinas ay may 114 protected areas ayon sa batas.