Environmental Crises & Resistance/Solutions in the Philippines

With the Pacific Ocean brewing dozens of typhoons annually in the Philippines, one would expect a lot of environmental damage happening east of the country (The World Bank). However, more impactful environmental and ecological damages are being perpetuated west of the country, where poachers escorted by the Chinese Navy encroach on Philippine territorial waters (BBC).

Chinese poachers have been destroying the ecosystem that lie west of the Philippines—overfishing, poaching, and wrecking the coral reefs in the area. Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, a BBC reporter, says,

"[A]s our little aircraft descended towards the tiny Philippine-controlled island of Pagasa, I looked out of my window and saw it. At least a dozen boats were anchored on a nearby reef. Long plumes of sand and gravel were trailing out behind them... This place had once been a rich coral ecosystem. Now the sea floor was covered in a thick layer of debris, millions of smashed fragments of coral, white and dead like bits of bone (BBC)."

China has also been building islands and military structures in the area, further inflaming tensions in the region. The destruction, as well as the territorial disputes between China and numerous Southeast Asian nations, have been going on for years.

Chinese poachers have been badly damaging the wildlife of the area, hunting even critically endangered species such as the Hawksbill sea turtles. For example, in May 2014, Philippine police found 500 of those sea turtles on board a Chinese vessel from Tanmen. Most of the sea turtles were dead (BBC). Some other species targeted by the poachers include clams, which can sell between $1,000 and $2,000 a pair according to Wingfield-Hayes. When he visited the dispute locations, the BBC reporter recounts that he “could see hundreds of clam shells stack high” on board the big boats.

Unfortunately, the reef destruction does not seem to end soon. Just last March, a massive fleet of 250 vessels for fishing or from the Chinese Navy were spotted near six islands claimed by the Philippines (Associated Press). China has ignored diplomatic protests made by the Philippines and does not seem to acknowledge the Southeast Asian nation’s territorial claims.

Chinese construction in the disputed Spratly Islands_Image

WORKS CITED

Gomez, Jim. “Philippines Demands China Remove Vessels at 6 Islands, Reefs.” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 31 Mar. 2021, apnews.com/article/south-china-sea-philippines-china-manila-coral-reefs-20e60c5b2d952e9d23da976ba7381ce2.

“The Philippines: Transferring the Cost of Severe Natural Disasters to Capital Markets.” World Bank, World Bank, 13 Apr. 2020,

www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2020/04/09/the-philippines-transferring-the-cost-of-severe-natural-disasters-to-capital-markets.

Wingfield-Hayes, Rupert. “Why Are Chinese Fishermen Destroying Coral Reefs in the South China Sea?” BBC News, BBC, 15 Dec. 2015, www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35106631.