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Experts: Whole-of-community approach needed to protect West PH Sea marine environment
Experts: Whole-of-community approach needed to protect West PH Sea marine environment
The protection of marine environment in the West Philippine Sea needs a whole-of-community approach, geopolitical and marine science experts have said amid continuous destructive activities by an aggressive and coercive state.
Stratbase Institute President Dindo Manhit said the commitment to secure the territorial waters is not only limited to implementing the national security strategy but also extends to protecting the marine environment.
“To fulfill this commitment, the country must take a whole-of-community or a whole-of-Philippine society approach, including the government, private sector, and civil society organizations,” said Manhit.
Manhit issued the statement in a forum on biodiversity in South China Sea on Thursday, organized by the Stratbase Institute, in partnership with the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines, amid the persistence of destructive activities despite laws and agreements to protect maritime territories and their resources.
“As an archipelagic nation, the Philippines understands the value of countering biodiversity loss and protecting marine resources from degradation… in 2023, the Armed Forces of the Philippines reported the massive illegal coral harvesting in Rozul Reef and the dumping of dead corals at Sandy Cay in the West Philippine Sea. The Stratbase ADR Institute considers these as acts of aggression and coercion,” said Manhit.
In the same forum, marine science experts also emphasized the importance of international cooperation in the implementation of a new international accord, the High Seas Treaty, which aims to protect the marine environment in the South China Sea.
The treaty, also known as the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) agreement, ensures the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond a country’s national jurisdiction through international coordination.
For University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute Professor Emeritus Rhodora Azanza the Philippines’ it’s active participation in the implementation of the High Seas Treaty is necessary considering the country’sexpertise in marine protected areas.
“This international accord functions as an instrument in fostering environmental justice by ensuring the utilization of marine biodiversity beyond national borders and concurrently serves as the pathway toward the realization of a sustainable blue economy, harmonizing with the country's adept strategies for preserving marine resources and cultivating ecological integrity,” Azanza said.
For her part, ASEAN Center for Biodiversity’s Director for International Affairs and Treaties Dr. Mary Kristerie Baleva said the Philippines and other ASEAN countries can work together and leverage on the new treaty and similar multilateral environmental agreements in protecting the marine environment in the South China Sea.
“It is good to be reminded of how rich biodiversity is within the region's territory, and more so beyond the national jurisdictions of the ASEAN members. The synergies among multilateral environmental agreements are gaining traction, providing legal, diplomatic, and political pathways to address biodiversity issues beyond national borders… Leveraging multilateral environmental agreements offers a promising avenue for the Philippines and other ASEAN states,” Baleva said.
Similarly, Tohoku University International Law Professor Nishimoto Kentaro said the High Seas Treaty serves as an additional legal instrument that supports the UNCLOS and enables countries to coordinate to establish marine protected areas.
The agreement was signed in June 2023 by 86 countries including the Philippines and China. The ratification of 60 countries is needed for the agreement to enter into force. As of now, only one country has ratified the agreement.
“Now that we have the BBNJ Agreement, we have what proves to be a global institutional framework for establishing a marine protected area in the South China Sea. If China ratifies the agreement, it will be obligated to comply with any measures that are established by the COP. China will be expected to behave in a responsible way with regards to biodiversity, if there is a fruitful product at the end of the MPA designation process under the BBNJ Agreement,” Kentaro explained.