Biggest herd of sea mammals sighted in SarBay
Climate Change/Environment • 07:45 AM Sat Mar 12, 2022
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By:
Edwin O. Fernandez
GENTLE GIANT. Five “sea cows,” more known as “dugongs,” were sighted by environmentalists off Sarangani Bay foraging for food on March 11, 2022, Friday. (Photos courtesy of DENR-12/PAMO-SBPS)
KORONDADAL CITY – Environmentalists in the Soccsksargen region today reported the sightings of five “sea cows,” commonly known by locals as “dugongs” off Sarangani Bay (SarBay) looking for food.
The sea mammals were spotted by the drone camera of Sarangani Bay Protected Seascape (SBPS) Protected Area Management Office (PAMO) foraging in the coast of Glan, Sarangani today, Friday (March 11), the last day of SBPS Week celebration.
Lawyer Felix S. Alicer, Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Region 12 (DENR-12) regional executive director, said the sighting of “dugongs” was a clear indicator that the SBPS remains as key marine biodiversity area which needs to be protected, not only by the DENR, but all of its stakeholders.
“We rely too much on the constituents of this area for its protection,” Director Alicer said.
“DENR alone cannot carry out its functions effectively without the support of the citizenry and the local government units. We must all work together to protect and preserve the biodiversity in the SBPS,” said Alicer, also concurrent chair of the SBPS Protected Area Management Board (PAMB).
Joy C. Ologuin, Protected Area Superintendent (PASu), said that she was overwhelmed by the presence of the “dugongs” in the area.
"We're glad that we still have this number of dugong in SBPS. We thought that we're losing this species because we were considered as hotspot of dugong in the whole Philippines. We are so delighted now,” she said.
Ma. Elvira V. Lumayag, provincial environment and natural resources officer (PENRO) of Sarangani, said it was the first time that a herd of dugongs were sighted in SarBay. She said normally one or the most two dugongs were sighted in a given time during the DENR-12 monthly marine mammal monitoring activity.
"This is so timely with our SBPS week celebration. This sighting is a manifestation of how we are taking care of our protected seascape. Our efforts are paying off,” PENRO Lumayag said.
Dugongs, the flagship species of SBPS, are very shy marine mammals that feed on sea grasses.
In a statement, DENR-12 cited the International Union for Conservation of Nature (UICN) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report that dugongs' population has been diminishing due to loss of sea grass habitat loss or degradation.
The degradation could be attributed to various development and industrial activities in the coastal areas that cause water pollution, the DENR said.