Danajon Bank in the Philippines is a very rare marine treasure.
Made of coral reefs, located off Cebu, Bohol, Leyte and Southern Leyte, it is the only double barrier reef in Southeast Asia and one of only six of the world’s double barrier reefs.
The reefs are prolific breeding areas that are so rich in fish, they are threatened by illegal fishing.
The Danajon Bank is the main provider of food and jobs for nearby communities; it protects surrounding islands from typhoons and adverse weather.
In 2007, Chevron Philippines and the Project Seahorse Foundation for Marine Conservation established a marine conservation area around the valuable and unique coral reefs.
Called Project Seahorse, it led to the creation of the Minantaw Marine Park and Sanctuary, a 214.6-hectare multi-use marine zone that includes a 50-hectare no-fishing area reserved for conservation and ecological seaweed farming.
The Lapu-Lapu municipal government, Barangay Caubian and the United Fishers of Caubian rallied behind Project Seahorse and 21 fishing communities formed a regional fishers alliance that encouraged other fishing communities to establish their own marine protected areas.
Since the creation of the sanctuary, the fish population increased inside the conservation area. Village-based sea patrols have discouraged illegal fishing and barracudas, stingrays and birds are returning.
For its efforts Chevron Philippines was cited in the first ASEAN Champions of Biodiversity Awards (Business Category) last Wednesday.
Chevron has more than $2 billion in capital investments in the country, with four business units that include Chevron Malampaya, Chevron Geothermal Philippines Holdings, Chevron Holdings (a business process organization) and Chevron Philippines, popularly known as Caltex.
“Society’s expectations is that business adress pressing socio-economic issues, and we invest a lot on social responsibility,” said said Chevron’s Mark Quebrol. “We strive to avoid or minimize significant risks and impacts our projects and operations may pose to sensitive species, habitats and ecosystems.”
In 2009, the Caltex-Project Seahorse Foundation also received the Corporate Social Responsibility Excellence Award of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines.
Chevron’s initiative reflects the growing footprints of Philippine businesses in nature conservation.
It’s not just big business that’s doing it. Broadchem Corporation, a medium-size enterprise, developed a 17-hectare farm that prevents erosion in the mountain area of Atisan, San Pablo City, Laguna.
Its land management practices involved a multiple cropping system of cover crops and fruit trees. It provided capital to slash-and-burn upland farmers and charcoal makers to encourage them to plant ginger and yam instead.
The company bought the farmers’ produce to make products such as jams, juices and wines; this made tree planting also attractive to neighboring communities.
Adopt-a-Species
CEMEX Philippines, a cement factory, was also cited for its work with Conservation International in designing the Adopt-a-Species Program that prevents the extinction of endangered species and the degradation of their habitat.
The Adopt-a-Species Program determined priority species in need of protection based on the 2007 Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
CEMEX advocated the conservation of whale sharks in Donsol, Sorsogon, and in Bantayan Islands, Cebu.
CEMEX encouraged local communities in conservation, says Dr. Theresa Mundita Lim, Director of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau, adding that “those who used to hunt whale sharks now serve as tour guides to visitors who want to see the beauty of nature. This provided them not only with knowledge, but also with an alternative and environment-friendly source of income.”
Green resorts
Another green business is Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa, recognized by the Awards for reducing its impact on the environment. Its sewage treatment plant, for example, processes waste water to irrigate the resort gardens.
Its most notable project was the stewardship of the 5-hectare Shangri-La Marine Sanctuary that is home to over 100 species of fish, clams and corals. Established in 2007, it protects the marine life fronting the resort as it promotes ecological tourism.
The resort’s management and staff participated in regular coastal clean-ups, reef checking, giant clam tagging and dive clean-ups. Using cement and clay, resort staff transplanted loose corals in the snorkeling area.
The Be GREEN program of Ten Knots Development Corporation is another noteworth project cited for balancing operations with conservation at its El Nido resort in Palawan.
It has partnered with the local Tres Marias community in installing artificial reef modules in areas once devastated by illegal fishing. It championed the conservation of endangered marine turtles with tag-and-release programs and hatchling released from nests that were safeguarded by resort staff.
Trash to cash
SM Supermalls was also recognized for its Trash-to-Cash Project, a recycling market for the public to bring used papers and cardboards, scrap plastics and plastic bottles, empty ink and toner cartridges and aluminum tin cans in exchange for cash – in all of its 42 malls nationwide.
Since 2007, the effort has diverted 300,000 kilograms of non-degradable plastics that would have otherwise ended up in landfills and garbage areas.
The department store chain encouraged contractors to accept non-biodegradable wastes such as polystyrene, styrofoam and mobile phone batteries.
“We focus on utilizing the full life of a product by identifying partners within the community who can benefit from items that we no longer need,” says Liza Silerio, head of SM’s Environment Committee. “This approach not only saves millions of pesos in disposal costs, it allows individuals and organizations to acquire goods they need but could not afford.”
Flying green
Flying green is Island Transvoyager, an air taxi charter operation that recognized its aircraft emit carbon dioxide when burning fuel, adding to greenhouse gases that cause global warming.
To reduce its carbon footprint, Island Transvoyager is the first airline in the country to offer carbon offsetting program to passengers.
Passengers may purchase for P200 six seedlings that when planted and grown into mature trees can offset the carbon emission generated from one person’s roundtrip flight from Manila to El Nido, Palawan.
Island Transvoyager has established a mini-nursery at El Nido airport. The seedlings are planted in Barangay Villa Libertad and El Nido. The funds generated also pay for the services of a forest ranger who maintains and protects the trees.
