UP team kicks off 3-year study of West Philippine Sea
MANILA, Philippines — Researchers from the University of the Philippines (UP) have started a three-year study to explore and evaluate the marine and coastal resources in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) to determine its economic value in the country’s natural capital accounting.
According to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), previous studies have shown the value of marine and coastal resources in the WPS, including coral reefs, biodiverse fishes, and prospective energy sources.
“However, over time, these resources have been deliberately and accidentally overexploited and damaged through human activities. There is still a lack of literature, which seeks to determine reparation for these effects,” it said on Tuesday.
The “Resource Inventory, Valuation, and Policy in Ecosystem Services under Threat (Reinvest): The Case of the West Philippine Sea” research program led by Dr. Laura David of the UP Marine Science Institute started in April and would run for three years.
Reynaldo Ebora, executive director of the DOST’s Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD), said he was “hopeful and optimistic” that the “Reinvest” research program would offer new knowledge to improve the Philippine economy.
“It is about time that the undervalued and unaccounted ecosystem assets and services of the [WPS] be further identified and integrated into the country’s System of National Accounts for us to manage and develop or utilize said resources sustainably—for what gets measured gets managed,” he said.
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