DENR-Biliran urges residents to preserve marine turtles

By FLOR JACKSON, PIA Biliran
February 10, 2011

NAVAL, Biliran  –  Residents of Biliran province are urged to preserve marine turtles that thrive in the seas of the island province because this particular marine life is going extinct.

The call was made by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Biliran Provincial Office through Cristy Santos, Chief of the Protected Area Wildlife Coastal Zone Management Services during the Kapihan sa PIA on Thursday live at Radyo Natin-Naval.

Santos said, the residents of the province especially those living along the coastal areas must work together and report to proper authorities once they know of anybody catching marine turtles for food.

She informed that there are only eight kinds of turtles in the world and only seven of these kinds are left.  Of the seven types left, five are found in the Philippines and three of these types are critically endangered.

She added that anybody caught butchering marine turtles and other marine mammals will be dealt with according to the law.

She bared that two islands of the municipality of Almeria in Biliran province namely Dalutan and Capiñahan were sighted to be nesting places of marine turtles.  In fact, she said, a group is currently conducting monitoring activities of these two islands if this particular marine life is really nesting in these islands.

“As marine turtles and other marine mammals are found in Biliran seas, this is an indicator that our seas are clean and pristine,” she said.

“Likewise, the presence of marine turtles in our seas indicates that Biliran seas are abundant with fish”, she added.

“The preservation of the marine turtles in our seas is everybody’s concern in the province because this marine treasures in our seas, are diminishing in number”, she said further.