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Journal Articles - UP - MSI

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://repository.unesco.gov.ph/handle/123456789/50

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    Distribution, temporal change, and conservation status of tropical seagrass beds in Southeast Asia: 2000–2020
    Sudo, Kenji; Quiros, T. E. Angela L.; Prathep, Anchana; Luong, Cao Van; Lin, Hsing-Juh; Bujang, Japar Sidik; Ooi, Jillian Lean Sim; Fortes, Miguel D.; Zakaria, Muta Harah; Yaakub, Siti Maryam; Tan, Yi Mei; Huang, Xiaoping; Nakaoka, Masahiro (Frontiers Media SA, 2021-07-08)
    Although Southeast Asia is a hotspot of global seagrass diversity, there are considerable information gaps in the distribution of seagrass beds. Broad-scale seagrass distribution has not been updated in the global seagrass database by UNEP-WCMC since 2000, although studies on seagrasses have been undertaken intensively in each region. Here we analyze the recent distribution of tropical seagrass beds, their temporal changes, causes of decline and conservation status in Southeast Asia (plus southern mainland China, Taiwan and Ryukyu Island of Japan) using data collected after 2000. Based on the 195 literature published since 2000, we identified 1,259 point data and 1,461 polygon data showing the distribution of seagrass beds. A large discrepancy was found in the seagrass bed distribution between our updated data and the UNEP-WCMC database, mostly due to inaccurate and low resolution location information in the latter. Temporal changes in seagrass bed area analyzed for 68 sites in nine countries/regions demonstrated that more than 60% of seagrass beds declined at an average rate of 10.9% year–1, whereas 20% of beds increased at an average rate of 8.1% year–1, leading to an overall average decline of 4.7% year–1. Various types of human-induced threats were reported as causes for the decline, including coastal development, fisheries/aquaculture, and natural factors such as typhoons and tsunamis. The percentage of seagrass beds covered with existing marine protected areas (MPAs) varied greatly among countries/regions, from less than 1% in Brunei Darussalam and Singapore to 100% in southern Japan. However, the degree of conservation regulation was not sufficient even in regions with higher MPA coverage. The percentage of seagrass beds within EBSAs (Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area determined by the Convention of Biological Diversity) was higher than that within MPAs because EBSAs cover a greater area than MPAs. Therefore, designating EBSAs as legally effective MPAs can greatly improve the conservation status of seagrass beds in Southeast Asia.
    This manuscript is a contribution to the Asia-Pacific Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (AP-MBON) of the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON). We are grateful to the members of Phuket Marine Biological Center in Thailand and the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology for providing local literature and data on seagrass bed distribution. This paper is dedicated to Chittima Aryuthaka who contributed greatly to the development of marine biology and ecology in Asia during her lifetime.
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    Evolving governance structures in community-based sandfish mariculture and their interactions with livelihood outcomes: Evidence from the Philippines
    Fabinyi, Michael; Gorospe, Jay R; McClean, Nicholas; Juinio–Meñez, Marie Antonette (Frontiers Media SA, 2022-11-02)
    Sea cucumber mariculture is an important emerging field of practice and applied research in the coastal tropics. This is due to the existing importance of tropical sea cucumber fisheries for wealth generation and poverty reduction, and the potential for mariculture to contribute to the longer term sustainability of these fisheries while generating benefits additional to those from wild caught sea cucumber. Understanding the optimal institutional arrangements for sea cucumber mariculture is an important area of focus in this field, with a variety of arrangements currently in place. This paper documents the establishment of a communal form of sea ranching in the Philippines, as a case study of community level institutional processes. It describes the background to establishment of the sea ranch in the community of Victory, challenges encountered and how these were managed, and the evolution of governance arrangements. In charting this process, we assess the impacts on livelihood outcomes, highlighting this as a crucial aspect influencing this evolution and the nature of community involvement in the sea ranch. While the sea ranching project generated a range of benefits for livelihoods, including possible spillover effects for the surrounding fishery, substantial economic returns from harvests did not occur. Thus, the system of governing the sea ranch evolved from a communal model to a more exclusive household model primarily to improve operational efficiency. In order for possible benefits of the sea ranch to be sustained and enhanced, greater integration with fisheries management and government support will be needed.
    We are grateful to the Samahan ng Maliliit na Mangingisda ng Barangay Victory, Inc., the local government unit of Barangay Victory and Bolinao for their support to the Sea cucumber Research Program. We are also thankful to Tirso Catbagan, Josh Caasi, Rona Cabanayan-Soy, and Garry Bucol for their invaluable assistance during the field monitoring of sandfish in the sea ranch.