by Jennifer Ng


EL NIDO Chris Godwin Buccaneers Jersey , Philippines, June 21 (Xinhua) -- While patrolling the seas around the clock and chasing down errant fishermen are ideal interventions to preserve marine resources such as coral reefs, the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) believes that simply changing the way people do business or their habits when they go on vacation would also boost the efforts.


This is because, UNEP said, human activities have a big impact on marine resources. Aside from climate change, population increase and coastal development have also contributed significantly to the damage on coral reefs.


"A fifth of the world's coral reefs have been lost, and more than 60 percent is under immediate, direct threat. Climate change and ocean acidification will increasingly affect all reefs. What we do impact on reef health," said Jerker Tamelander, head of UNEP 's Coral Reef Unit.


UNEP singled out tourism as constituting a "significant pressure" on coral reefs. While tourism can bring in much-needed revenues for developing countries, the tendency of businesses to disregard the need to protect the environment so they can rake in more profits can exact a heavy toll on the natural resources of the Philippines.


For UNEP, this is simply unacceptable especially since this would mean the destruction of more natural resources such as coral reefs. Recognizing the need to put in place doable "best practices " that can be adopted by businesses, locals, and tourists, the UN unit partnered with Britain-based charity The Reef World Foundation and local non-government organization El Nido Foundation (ENF) to roll out the Green Fins approach in the Philippines.


Green Fins is a set of simple measures that seek to preserve coral reefs in popular diving sites in the country. UNEP and ENF organized a study tour for foreign and local journalists in El Nido town in the western Philippine province of Palawan. The tour is meant to showcase how the Green Fins approach is being implemented in El Nido.


GREEN FINS IN EL NIDO


El Nido (Spanish term for 'the nest') is a first class municipality located in the northwestern tip of Palawan province. It covers 18 villages, of which 16 are coastal villages and has a population of 39,095.


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