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00. Ocean Decade - Philippines

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://repository.unesco.gov.ph/handle/123456789/7

The UNACOM Online and Digital Enabling Library and Index is developed to support the alignment of research, investments, and community initiatives toward contributing to a well-functioning, productive, resilient, sustainable, and inspiring ocean. The goal is to enable the government, partner agencies, and UNESCO to develop more robust Science-Informed Policies and facilitate a stronger Science-Policy Interface through the gathered data, information, and knowledge related to the Ocean Decade in the Philippines.

Particularly, it aims to:
  • Gather and index all publications, reports, policies, laws, legislations, articles, and other documents of the Philippine National Committee on Marine Sciences (NCMS) related to the Ocean Decade.
  • Disseminate and promote these publications, reports, policies, and other documents on the initiatives and actions to address the Ocean Decade challenges.

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 14
  • A synthesis and review of historical eruptions at Taal Volcano, Southern Luzon, Philippines
    Delos Reyes, Perla J.; Bornas, Ma. Antonia V.; Dominey-Howes, Dale; Pidlaoan, Abigail C.; Magill, Christina R.; Solidum, Renato Jr. U. (Elsevier BV, 2018-02)
    The Philippines is an area of persistent volcanism, being located in one of the most tectonically active regions in the world. Taal Volcano in Southern Luzon is the second most frequently erupting volcano of the 24 active volcanoes in the Philippines. A comprehensive and critical review of published and unpublished references describing the 33 known historical eruptions of Taal may provide answers to knowledge gaps on past eruptive behavior, processes, and products that could be utilized for hazard and risk assessment of future eruptions. Data on the prehistoric eruptions and evolution of Taal Caldera and subsequent deposits are limited. Only four caldera-forming events were identified based on four mapped ignimbrite deposits. From oldest to youngest, these are the silicic Alitagtag (ALI) and Caloocan (CAL) Pumice Flow deposits, the dacitic Sambong Ignimbrite (SAM), and the basaltic-andesitic Taal Scoria Flow, renamed Scoria Pyroclastic Flow (SFL). Except for SFL with 14C dating yielding 5380 ± 70 to 6830 ± 80 ky, there are no age constraints or estimates of extent for the three older deposits. A comprehensive review of the historical eruptions of Taal Volcano is the central element of this paper and includes all eruptions from AD1572 (the first known historic event) to AD1977. Eruption styles and the interplay between processes and products for each eruption are reinterpreted based on the narrative descriptions from all available accounts. A change of classification of eruption styles and eruptive products is undertaken for some events. At least nine reported eruptions were deemed uncertain including the AD1605-AD1611 event (more likely seismic swarms), the AD1634, AD1635, and AD1645 (may simply be solfataric or hydrothermal activity) events, and the AD1790, AD1825, AD1842, AD1873 and AD1903 events that were listed in recent published and unpublished documents but do not provide any details to describe and confirm the eruptions except for listing a default VEI of 2. Pyroclastic density currents brought devastating impacts to the communities around Taal during the AD1749, AD1754, AD1911 and AD1965 eruptions and remain the biggest threat in the case of renewed volcanic activity. Significant implications for aviation are implied by the narrative of tephra fall dispersal towards Manila, the central gateway of international aviation operation in the Philippines, during the AD1754 eruptions. The dispersal of tephra in the event of an explosive eruption at Taal towards Metro Manila would have catastrophic effects to transport, utilities and business activity, potentially generating enormous economic losses. Hazards from earthquake events associated with future volcanic activity may also have localized impacts. Occurrences of liquefaction phenomena as a consequence of severe ground shaking are interpreted during the AD1749, AD1754, and AD1911 eruptions. More work needs to be done to develop a comprehensive understanding of the hazards and risks associated with an explosive eruption at Taal Volcano, especially related to the older Quaternary caldera-forming eruptions that produced large-volume pyroclastic deposits that are extensively distributed and exposed. We acknowledge that there may be additional prehistoric eruptions where the eruptive products have not been preserved, recognized or reported. Events that cannot be verified or do not have sufficient details to confirm the eruption, have been downgraded to “uncertain”. Eruptions that are confirmed with identified dispersal and emplacement of tephra fall and other eruptive deposits, as interpreted from narrated records, could provide crucial information that may be utilized in hazard assessment.
  • Petrology and geochemistry of Camiguin Island, southern Philippines: insights to the source of adakites and other lavas in a complex arc setting
    Castillo, Paterno R.; Janney, Philip E.; Solidum, Renato Jr. U. (Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 1999-01-21)
    Camiguin is a small volcanic island located 12 km north of Mindanao Island in southern Philippines. The island consists of four volcanic centers which have erupted basaltic to rhyolitic calcalkaline lavas during the last ∼400 ka. Major element, trace element and Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic data indicate that the volcanic centers have produced a single lava series from a common mantle source. Modeling results indicate that Camiguin lavas were produced by periodic injection of a parental magma into shallow magma chambers allowing assimilation and fractional crystallization (AFC) processes to take place. The chemical and isotopic composition of Camiguin lavas bears strong resemblance to the majority of lavas from the central Mindanao volcanic field confirming that Camiguin is an extension of the tectonically complex Central Mindanao Arc (CMA). The most likely source of Camiguin and most CMA magmas is the mantle wedge metasomatized by fluids dehydrated from a subducted slab. Some Camiguin high-silica lavas are similar to high-silica lavas from Mindanao, which have been identified as “adakites” derived from direct melting of a subducted basaltic crust. More detailed comparison of Camiguin and Mindanao adakites with silicic slab-derived melts and magnesian andesites from the western Aleutians, southernmost Chile and Batan Island in northern Philippines indicates that the Mindanao adakites are not pure slab melts. Rather, the CMA adakites are similar to Camiguin high-silica lavas which are products of an AFC process and have negligible connection to melting of subducted basaltic crust.
  • Fisheries Administrative Order No. 233: Series of 2010. Aquatic wildlife conservation.
    (Department of Agriculture, 2010-04-16)
    This Administrative Order, consisting of 5 Chapters and 1 Annex, In line with Rule 37.1 of the Joint DENR-DA-PCSD Administrative Order No. 1, Series of 2004, is promulgated pursuant to Republic Act 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2001. It creates several authorities entitled to carry out research, control and manage the aquatic wildlife sector, such as: the National Aquatic Wildlife Management Committee (NAWMC) and establishes their composition, duties and responsibilities. This Order is divided as follows: Structures and Individuals for the Conservation of Aquatic Wildlife (Chap. I); Utilization of Aquatic Wildlife (Scientific Research on Aquatic Wildlife) (Chap. II); Fees and Charges (Chap. III); Fines and Penalties (Chap. IV); Miscellaneous Provisions (Chap. V). The Annex lays down a Preliminary List of Economically Important Aquatic Organisms.
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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.
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    Mining small molecules from Teredinibacter turnerae strains isolated from Philippine Teredinidae
    Villacorta, Jamaine B.; Rodriguez, Camille V.; Peran, Jacquelyn E.; Batucan, Jeremiah D.; Concepcion, Gisela; Salvador-Reyes, Lilibeth A.; Junio, Hiyas A. (MDPI, 2022-11-21)
    Endosymbiotic relationship has played a significant role in the evolution of marine species, allowing for the development of biochemical machinery for the synthesis of diverse metabolites. In this work, we explore the chemical space of exogenous compounds from shipworm endosymbionts using LC-MS-based metabolomics. Priority T. turnerae strains (1022X.S.1B.7A, 991H.S.0A.06B, 1675L.S.0A.01) that displayed antimicrobial activity, isolated from shipworms collected from several sites in the Philippines were cultured, and fractionated extracts were subjected for profiling using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography with high-resolution mass spectrometry quadrupole time-of-flight mass analyzer (UHPLC-HRMS QTOF). T. turnerae T7901 was used as a reference microorganism for dereplication analysis. Tandem MS data were analyzed through the Global Natural Products Social (GNPS) molecular networking, which resulted to 93 clusters with more than two nodes, leading to four putatively annotated clusters: lipids, lysophosphatidylethanolamines, cyclic dipeptides, and rhamnolipids. Additional clusters were also annotated through molecular networking with cross-reference to previous publications. Tartrolon D cluster with analogues, turnercyclamycins A and B; teredinibactin A, dechloroteredinibactin, and two other possible teredinibactin analogues; and oxylipin (E)-11-oxooctadec-12-enoic acid were putatively identified as described. Molecular networking also revealed two additional metabolite clusters, annotated as lyso-ornithine lipids and polyethers. Manual fragmentation analysis corroborated the putative identification generated from GNPS. However, some of the clusters remained unclassified due to the limited structural information on marine natural products in the public database. The result of this study, nonetheless, showed the diversity in the chemical space occupied by shipworm endosymbionts. This study also affirms the use of bioinformatics, molecular networking, and fragmentation mechanisms analysis as tools for the dereplication of high-throughput data to aid the prioritization of strains for further analysis.
    The research was completed under the supervision of the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR), Philippines in compliance with Prior Informed Consent (PIC) certificate requirements and all required legal instruments and regulatory issuances covering the conduct of the research. The authors would also like to acknowledge the Department of Science and Technology-funded Discovery and Development of Health Products Program (DOST-DDHP) for the LC-MS Facility of the Institute of Chemistry, University of the Philippines Diliman.
  • Ocean mapping and other marine activities of the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA)
    Carandang, Efren P. (Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development, 2002)
    This paper describes the various marine activities being undertaken by the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) pursuant to its mandate as the central surveying, mapping and resource information agency of the government. NAMRIA gathers marine data through periodic hydrographic and oceanographic surveys and remote sensing techniques, and publishes the results in the form of nautical charts, bathymetric maps and other thematic maps. It also creates marine geographic information systems and databases. As steward of the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), the agency participates in international oceanographic data exchange programs, and also serves the marine data and information needs of the local marine science community. NAMRIA's data collection capability got a big boost with the acquisition this year of two multi-disciplinary survey vessels with state-of-the-art systems. With these vessels as platforms, NAMRIA will embark on the comprehensive charting of the Exclusive Economic Zone, and collaborate with the different marine science agencies in the conduct of multi-disciplinary oceanographic cruises.
  • Defending Philippine maritime territory and marine resources: Initiatives and problems
    Carranza, Ruben R., Jr. (Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development, 2002)
    The significance of the Philippines' maritime territory and the complexities of its defense are examined. The speaker highlights the integral role of the country's waters in trade, food security, and resource provision. Challenges, including naval limitations and maritime intrusions, are presented, followed by a discussion of defense strategies like selective sea control. The speech concludes with a call for decisive policy actions, diplomatic solutions to territorial conflicts, and improved capabilities to safeguard the nation's maritime interests.
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    Interchange of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) between northern Philippines and Ogasawara, Japan, has implications for conservation
    Nakagun, Shotaro; Smoll, Laetitia I.; Sato, Takayuki; Layusa, Cynthia A. A.; Acebes, Jo Marie V. (CSIRO Publishing, 2020-03-12)
    Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the western North Pacific breed in the Philippines and Japan, where there is relatively little scientific data available, leading to uncertainty about their population status and structure. This study investigates links between humpback whale populations in northern Philippines and Ogasawara, Japan, through a comparison of the most recent fluke identification catalogues. The Philippines catalogue (1999–2016) included 234 individuals, and the Ogasawara catalogue (1987–2014), 1389 individuals. The number of matched individuals was 86 (including 14 known females and 40 known males), corresponding to 36.8% of the Philippines and 6.2% of the Ogasawara catalogues. The findings included four within-season matches, with travel times as short as 25 days. The results suggest that a considerable portion of whales utilising Philippine waters pass through and also utilise the Ogasawara region, but the majority of whales found off Ogasawara either stay in that location, move to different breeding grounds, or remain out of the sampling area. Nevertheless, in light of the high site fidelity of individuals in the Philippines and Ogasawara area, as well as constant evidence of breeding activities, these regions are of importance to the lesser known western North Pacific subpopulation. Humpback whales migrating to this part of the world are estimated to be in relatively low abundance, therefore continued conservation attention is needed.
  • A multi-framework analysis of stakeholders’ perceptions in developing a localized blue carbon ecosystems strategy in Eastern Samar, Philippines
    Quevedo, Jay Mar D.; Ferrera, Charissa M.; Faylona, Marie Grace Pamela G.; Kohsaka, Ryo (Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2024-01-25)
    Blue carbon ecosystems (BCEs) are vital for global climate change mitigation and offer diverse local ecosystem co-benefits. Despite existing literatures on integrating national and international BCE agendas at the local level, the development and implementation of localized BCE strategies often lag behind. To provide insights on this knowledge gap, we present a case study conducted in Eastern Samar, Philippines. Employing a multi-framework analysis- encompassing DPSIR (drivers, pressures, state, impact, responses), SOAR (strengths, opportunities, aspirations, results), and PESTLE (political, economic, social, technological, legal, environmental) frameworks, stakeholder perceptions collected from focus group discussions highlight issues and challenges in developing and implementing a BCE strategy. Findings reveal that the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 in the study sites stimulated conservation efforts and raised awareness, but governance structures and policy enforcement influence the success and longevity of management and conservation efforts. Through the integration of multiple frameworks, this study outlined a potential localized BCE strategy, emphasizing both internal priorities such as stakeholder engagement and alternative livelihoods and external priorities related to policy and technological supports. While developed based on a specific case study in the Philippines, the proposed strategy is presented in a general manner, enabling its potential replication in other provinces in the Philippines or in countries with similar geographic settings.
  • Moving towards open data, public access, and information sharing to combat marine plastics pollution in the Philippines and the Southeast Asian region
    Alindayu, Ricardo C.; Licnachan, Lance Oliver C.; Luzadas, Ramgem L.; Ignacio, Paul Samuel P.; Onda, Deo Florence L. (Elsevier, 2023-09-01)
    Despite the consistent tagging of countries in Southeast Asia as among the top polluters of plastics in the oceans and the increasing local literature documenting the presence and abundance of plastics in marine environments, there still lacks a comprehensive, open, and accessible repository for marine plastics pollution data in the region. As such, this study presents the development of the PlastiCount Pilipinas portal in line with the call for a common data repository by the Philippines’ National Plan of Action for the Prevention, Reduction, and Management of Marine Litter and the ASEAN Regional Action Plan for Combating Marine Debris in the ASEAN Member States. A total of 14 existing databases were reviewed to identify key features for the online portal implemented to promote ease of access and diversified functionality. For the database, a total of 38 publications, 2 reports, 1 scientific poster, and 3 baselining studies were used to develop the initial ground-truthed baseline for marine plastic pollution, covering 23 provinces and 14 regions across the Philippines. The challenges presented by an observed variation across different methodologies and reporting styles emphasize the critical need to harmonize methods toward generating a more refined national baseline for marine litter. The initial baseline data and other resources such as manuals, information sheets, photographs, news, and publications are uploaded onto a public online portal for viewing and download (https://plasticount.ph/). Data and resource submissions from the public are also accepted and considered for inclusion in the database. The insights gained from developing the online portal and database for the Philippines can be used to inform the development of a regional database for Southeast Asia towards reducing marine litter.