For the initial offering of The Green Diver, I invite you to discuss the very heart of a diver’s duty to the environment - Marine Life Conservation.

An interesting article came out this month at the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s website. The Philippines was named by The National Geographic Society’s Adventure Magazine as one of the “25 Best New Travel Destinations for 2010.” It made me wonder how much our diving resources affected this country’s inclusion into the list. A lot, apparently, as the actual article about the Philippines as a travel destination included a trip itinerary, set by their partner outfitter, Wilderness Travel, which ends in 5 days of diving where the adventurer can “bob around reefs, scanning the area’s 350 varieties of coral.”

The travel/exploration magazine described the list as to cater to “travelers [who] want their dollars to do more-for others, for the planet, for themselves.” For our planet, they say. The fact that the society is not only about exploration but also into conservation got me thinking - How do divers affect our reefs? And what are we doing about it?

See, the Philippines is in the Coral Triangle which holds pretty much “75 percent of all known coral species, more than half of the world’s reefs, 40 percent of the world’s coral reef fish species, and six of the world’s seven species of marine turtle,” according to World Wide Fund (WWF) information pages. Additionally, the Environmental Biology of Fishes Journal had an article study highlighting the Philippines as “the center of the center of marine shore biodiversity.” And I’m pretty sure everyone here would like to keep it that way.

Kick! Flash! Boom! That’s, basically, how it all happens according to a study made by the Trade and Environment Database (TED) when they looked into SCUBA. An uninformed diver’s fin kick, or even unnecessary touching, can cause wounds to corals and fish. Extreme, pointless flashes from camera and other equipment can stun the unsuspecting fish and destroy the natural light balance of underwater ecosystems. While unsecured diving equipment and paraphernalia such as knives can drop and strike corals and other marine life. I pity the innocent Manta Ray hidden under the surface of sandy bottoms startled (and squashed?) by a dropping gas tank.

The Philippine Government, together with other partner nations, launched the Coral Triangle Initiative or CTI. The said initiative was launched to promote action plans for rescue and to avoid further destruction of the “world’s richest center of marine biodiversity.” This is, indeed, another great step toward the right direction. Actually, this is not the first, as this same year, the Philippine Senate approved through a resolution the hosting of the headquarters of the Asian Center for Biodiversity which main aim is conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity within the region.

At Mermaid Dive Resort, environmental awareness and conservation is very much a part of having great diving experience. I asked Master Instructor Bob Kieran, of the Mermaid Dive Center, what they do to prevent any damage to the underwater world and he had this to say, “Among other things, they are briefed on diver etiquette. We talk about interaction with marine life and being aware of harming coral and other living things by touching or kicking. We encourage them to use the identification books we have available to become familiar with the abundant variety of sea life we are blessed with in this area. My feeling is that if we can encourage a close relationship between diver and animal, the diver becomes a champion of the environment.”

Truly encouraging words, Bob! And with that assurance, partnered with continuous efforts at conservation from everyone involved, the Philippines will not only be a great destination in 2010 but will remain so for decades.