The Sulu-Sulawesi Sea touches the shore of several provinces of the
Philippine archipelago, home to more than 50 million people. For more than 10,000 years the indigenous population of this area has harvested the sea's seemingly unlimited supply of marine life. Today, the Sulu-Sulawesi is under threat. The hand that reaches out for sustenance is the same hand that threatens to destroy this unique and important habitat.

This week's Earth Report looks beneath the waves to find out why one of the most diverse marine regions in the world is fast becoming a casualty in the struggle between man and nature.

Global 200

Listed as one of the world's 200 most important sites for its diversity of wild species, the Sulu-Sulawesi Sea really is a unique and fragile ecosystem. There are 1800 species of fish alone, 400 species of algae, 5 of the worlds 8 species of sea turtles, 22 species of marine mammals and over 450 types of coral.

The Sulu-Sulawesi lies right at the centre of an area which marine scientists refer to as the coral triangle, the heart of marine bio-diversity in the world. The importance of this region, which Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines share control of, cannot be overstated. This area alone is ranked as the most important spawning ground in the entire Asia Pacific region for fish and other marine life, providing a livelihood for the fishing communities crowding its shores. Destruction of this natural habitat will not only mean disaster for the marine world - but for man's too.

But this natural wonder is increasingly threatened. The decaying remnants of blasted corals are a tragic reminder of how uncontrolled exploitation for short term gain can wreck a habitat created over centuries.

The economics of destruction

For the Philippines, the Sulu-Sulawesi is not only a source of livelihood for local fishermen but a source of hard currency for its debt-burdened government. Highly prized yellowfin tuna, groupers and shrimps fetch lucrative prices in overseas markets. In 1996 alone, exports of tuna netted the Philippines a cool US $145 million.

As the Philippines struggle to keep pace with the rest of the world, its natural marine resources are being overstretched. A tell-tale sign is the recent decline in tuna exports which fell last year by 8%. But even in the face of this environmental decline, export and domestic market demands continue to grow - demands that take no account of the limits of ecology.

Lucrative overseas markets are not only a driving force behind overfishing but the adoption of destructive fishing practices as well. Cyanide, used to knock out fish such as groupers and wrasse which fetch high prices in Chinese restaurants, also causes widespread collateral damage to coral reefs - habitats which take over 100 years to regenerate.

But forces other than greed are also contributing to the exploitation of the Sulu-Sulawesi. For local fishing communities, population pressure, poverty, a lack of economic alternatives and the need to survive all contribute to over-fishing.

Conservation, then, is seen as an unwelcome impediment and local government units are powerless to control overfishing and illegal fishing practices.

But it's not all bad news...

Saving the Sulu-Sulawesi

In May 1996 a transfrontier agreement between Malaysia and the Philippines was finally signed. The initiative was brokered in order to protect two endangered turtle species; the Hawksbill and the Green Turtle.

Over the last 40 years, the number of Green Turtles has decreased by 88% largely as a result of egg collecting by inhabitants of the Philippine's six turtle islands. Although egg harvesting has been illegal for the last 20 years, the high prices turtle eggs fetch in Malaysian markets far outweigh the risk of being caught.

On the island sanctuary of Baguan, conservationists are working hard to maximise the number of turtle hatchlings which they hope will help restore the number of turtles in the area.

Although the Malaysian-Philippine agreement is a vital first step, all three governments in this region need to enforce sustainable ways of earning a living from the sea.

Smart economics

This year, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) will launch a major livelihood programme here to teach the local fishermen how to use environmentally friendly methods of catching fish. An important part of this project will be strong marketing support - linking the local fishermen with markets in Malaysia so that they can sell their catches easily.

Towards a sustainable sea?

The Sulu-Sulawesi Sea is one of our planet's power-houses of genetic diversity and for the island nations surrounding it, protection of its abundant natural resources is vital. In the end it will be up to Sulu people themselves to keep their sea productive. As their sea catches decline, there are signs that the local people are realising the threat to their livelihood and to their culture. This realisation alone may save the Sulu-Sulawesi.