00:00Corals are very important, they serve as habitats for fish and also as a source of food for
00:29corals.
00:30If there are no more corals, there will be no more houses and no more food for the other
00:36fish.
00:37Like the houses of people on land, corals or bahura in the Philippines are often destroyed
00:49by storms.
00:50And if it's not a storm, dynamite fishing is another reason for their destruction.
00:58But it is still possible to revive the houses that were destroyed under the sea.
01:02And this is what a small island in Negros Occidental proved.
01:07Danjougan Island is a marine and wildlife sanctuary, meaning the waters of Danjougan
01:29Island are protected.
01:31The island is small, only 40 hectares, but the ocean is very rich.
01:40Of the 500 species of corals in the world, more than 200 can be found here.
01:48There are also 49 species of algae and more than 500 species of fish.
01:59Because the attraction underwater is really the most important.
02:03If the corals are dead, the fish won't come.
02:07So drop and then pass out?
02:17Maximum depth?
02:19Maximum depth around 25 to 30 meters because the big corals are around 25 to 30 meters.
02:37When you're underwater, that's what you expect, the beautiful view.
02:55It's really beautiful when the corals are healthy, there are many fish.
03:08Corals take hundreds of years or it takes a lot of years for corals to grow, especially
03:14corals that big.
03:16But in just one night or one day, it got destroyed.
03:22The typhoon Odette cut off the Negros Occidental in December 2021.
03:35Many lives and livelihoods were destroyed on Danjougan Island, and the coral reserves
03:41were also destroyed.
03:44So it's better to fight the people because you can defend yourself.
03:50It's really hard to fight the natural disaster.
04:01What happened here on the island is that there were bleached corals even before the typhoon.
04:07So there were big corals that bleached, and then when the typhoon Odette hit, it really
04:14got destroyed.
04:17Before the strong typhoons caused by climate change, dynamite fishing destroyed the corals
04:24of Danjougan.
04:29Danjougan Island of the Philippine Rainforest Conservation Foundation started to protect
04:35Danjougan Island in 1994.
04:37Back then, dynamite fishing was always done there.
04:45This island really has an owner, one of the locals there in Barangay Bulata.
04:50One day, the owner wanted to cut down that tree.
04:54It's special because it's also the home of the white bellied seagull because there are
04:59seagulls here on the island.
05:01That's what happened.
05:02The foundation said that if you sell that, you can sell everything.
05:07So one of our board of trustees, Sir Jerry Ledesma, he's the president of the foundation
05:14until now.
05:15So he went to the UK for fundraising.
05:20In 2006, it opened to the public and was recognized as an eco-tourism site.
05:27There's no time for dedication and carelessness to revive the damage.
05:33Some of the fishermen who have lost their jobs because of dynamite fishing are now serving
05:40as the coast guards around Danjougan.
05:46As coast guards, we have schedules.
05:50We patrol every night.
05:53Sometimes, in the morning.
05:55The sanctuary that we protect is the livelihood of the community here.
06:01So what I can describe is that on the east side, you can see that it's really destroyed.
06:05of the community here in our area.
06:21So, what I can describe is that on the east side,
06:24you can really see that it's completely destroyed.
06:27The way down, the visibility is blurry.
06:30What we saw there were fishing lines that we caught
06:34and debris as well.
06:36There are corals that they have already breached.
06:57When you're down there and then you see it blitzing, it's like it's really heavy on the inside.
07:05It's really heavy on the inside.
07:07It used to be really beautiful.
07:17That site is really beautiful.
07:21Unlike before, now there are more corals that are dying and it's really turning white.
07:30The coral reef is made up of layers of calcium carbonate where it is sensitive to the temperature of the water.
07:43Due to global warming, where the temperature of the sea is low, it is possible for it to develop what is called ocean acidification.
07:52This can make the storm stronger and can destroy the corals.
07:57And we know that when the water is acidic, our calcium carbonate organisms that secrete, like coral reef,
08:06can easily dissolve because of the acidification of our seawater.
08:11Coral bleaching happens when the water is hot.
08:15It can help if the coral reef solution is adapted to ocean temperature patterns.
08:21Until now, there is an online tool to see the latest sea temperatures from the Global Ostea
08:27or Operational Sea Surface Temperature and Sea Ice Analysis.
08:32It can be used to detect ocean heat to detect possible ocean threats such as storms
08:38or ocean acidity that can affect the destruction of our corals.
08:44The individual polyps of the coral have a symbiotic relationship with the algae that gives color to our corals.
08:53So because of increasing heat, because of heat stress, this algae or the suosantille
09:01is expelled from the corals.
09:03So once it is expelled from the corals, the coral will turn white and it will be bleached.
09:09So there will be coral bleaching because of that.
09:14Coral Bleaching
09:24Coral bleaching is not just about taking care of the corals so that they can come back to life.
09:32Project SEED was also initiated by the government.
09:35Part of the project is to multiply plants and trees on the island.
09:43Project SEED
09:50In the ocean, the Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation wants to multiply tadpoles or clams.
10:06Project SEED, the term SEED is for seedlings and also reseeding of giant clams.
10:12We bought baby giant clams and we reseeded them here in the reefs of Danjonggan for the restoration of our reefs.
10:20And then we grow seedlings of those beach forest and mangrove species.
10:26And then we give them out to partner communities all around Southern Negros, that's Kawayan and Sipalay.
10:33So to help them also restore their coastal areas.
10:38Project SEED
10:41They each have their own role.
10:44So ecological balance, that's one thing we're looking at.
10:47If an habitat is ecologically balanced, there are more organisms there, it's more diverse.
10:55They become more resilient to stress.
10:58That's why a diverse ecosystem is better.
11:02Project SEED
11:06We have the so-called indicator species.
11:11So the indicator species are the species in the marine ecosystem,
11:15that if you see them, that's a sign that the reef is healthy and thriving.
11:20So for example, the sea turtles.
11:22If you see the sea turtles in the reefs, that means the reef is healthy, the reef is thriving.
11:28Because it supports the life of the sea turtles.
11:31And we really should strive to keep it that way.
11:34Because if our corals are destroyed because of coral bleaching,
11:38or because of typhoons brought about by the climate crisis,
11:42we won't be able to see these species anymore.
11:49It's been a long time since the island and the Danjugan Sea became rich.
11:54Many were destroyed and lost.
11:57Project SEED aims to restore the balance between nature and the environment.
12:28Danjugan, our home island, is considered as a hope spot.
12:32All the things that you love and you know about, you take care of.
12:38We really need to take care of this island.
12:41We really need to protect our sea,
12:45because if it's destroyed, by the future, it will be gone.
12:53So if we can build a small island here in Danjugan,
12:59we can do it in other islands and in other communities.
13:03As long as there is collective action, there is passion,
13:07we can do it, as long as we help each other.
13:09And we really keep the fire going, the hope going, and keep taking action.
13:24Project SEED aims to restore the balance between nature and the environment.
13:28Project SEED aims to restore the balance between nature and the environment.
13:31Project SEED aims to restore the balance between nature and the environment.
13:34Project SEED aims to restore the balance between nature and the environment.
13:37Project SEED aims to restore the balance between nature and the environment.
13:40Project SEED aims to restore the balance between nature and the environment.
13:43Project SEED aims to restore the balance between nature and the environment.
13:46Project SEED aims to restore the balance between nature and the environment.
13:49Project SEED aims to restore the balance between nature and the environment.
13:52Project SEED aims to restore the balance between nature and the environment.
13:55Project SEED aims to restore the balance between nature and the environment.
13:58Project SEED aims to restore the balance between nature and the environment.
14:01Project SEED aims to restore the balance between nature and the environment.
14:04Project SEED aims to restore the balance between nature and the environment.
14:07Project SEED aims to restore the balance between nature and the environment.
14:10Project SEED aims to restore the balance between nature and the environment.
14:13Project SEED aims to restore the balance between nature and the environment.
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