PAGUDPUD, Ilocos Norte – A sustainable sanctuary for endangered sea turtles has been created along the coastlines of Bangui and Pagudpud towns through an intensified Sea Turtle Pawikan Conservation Action Plan.
ACEN, led by its pioneering wind farms in the province – the NorthWind and North Luzon Renewables (NLR) – made the sea turtle conservation efforts that have been driving the coastal communities, local government units, and environmental groups to work together in protecting these marine creatures and their eggs, which have been constantly under threat from poachers and predators.
ACEN is the listed energy platform of the Ayala Group and one of the largest listed renewables platforms in Southeast Asia, with a goal of reaching 20 GW of renewables capacity by 2030.
Since 2013, the Ayala group’s listed energy company has released 1,923 sea turtle hatchlings to the ocean from 2,672 eggs it monitored and protected, with a hatching rate of over 73 percent.
ACEN had also rescued 41 adult sea turtles that accidentally got entangled in the fishermen’s nets.
Recently, ACEN’s NorthWind team released 54 hatchlings. This is the last of the five clutches it monitored and protected during the latest nesting season along Bangui Bay, where three out of five sea turtle species found in the Philippines are recorded to have bred in its nine-kilometer shoreline. These species were the endangered olive ridley turtle, the green turtle, and the critically endangered hawksbill turtle.
Marking its 10th-year conservation program, ACEN will ramp up and expand its marine biodiversity efforts
through awareness campaigns in schools and the establishment of a Pawikan Information Center
With the help of the Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines (MWWP), ACEN continues to conduct training not just for the communities but also for various authorities to equip them with the principles and procedures on marine turtle conservation and research, including nesting beach and hatchery management.
Aside from the community residents, the participants have come from the local government units of Pagudpud and Bangui, the Philippine Coast Guard, the Philippine National Police, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
ACEN also strengthened its sea turtle conservation approach by retrofitting sea turtle hatcheries and replacing concrete and metal with indigenous materials so as not to affect the hatchlings’ navigation as they begin their journey to the ocean.
These information and education campaigns have created a sense of awareness of the importance of sea turtles among the locals, empowering them to become guardians of the elusive marine animal.
Irene Maranan, ACEN vice president and head of corporate communications and sustainability, said: “While we scale up the development of renewable, we also commit to protecting and conserving biodiversity in the communities where we operate. We develop a biodiversity plan, not just to mitigate potentially significant impacts, but most importantly to enhance biodiversity that will also create a meaningful impact to our host communities.”
“Our pawikan conservation initiative won’t be possible without our collaboration and cooperation with different stakeholders such as the local government, community, and environmental experts,” she added.
In 2023, ACEN plans to strengthen its multi-stakeholder approach to sea turtle conservation by conducting more information and educational campaigns in schools, fisherfolk communities, tourism souvenir merchants, and other local stakeholders.
It is also looking at creating a Pawikan Information Center in Ilocos Norte and collaborating with more environmental groups in its other host communities in Zambales and La Union.