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CITY OF MATI, Davao Oriental (MindaNews / 23 Oct) — For Romeo Trono, former country director of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and former director of Conservation International, the existence of marine turtles indicates that the ecosystem of the area is healthy.

He said that to understand the ecological role of the turtles, their life cycle has to be learned.

Trono explains that once a turtle reaches its maturity in 10-15 years, it will move to a permanent feeding ground. For green sea turtles, they move to sea grass beds, while hawksbills would move to corals.

Once a turtle reaches the mature age of 25 and mates, it goes to the nesting beach to lay its eggs. When eggs are laid, the mother turtle goes back to the ocean.

In 45-60 days, the hatchlings will emerge and crawl to the ocean until they reach maturity, and so on and so forth.

But Trono said the most obvious ecological role of turtles is that they are considered keystone species and guardians of balance.

Green sea turtles, which are herbivores when they mature, help maintain healthy seagrass meadows as they graze like underwater gardeners feeding on the seagrass.

“Keeping the seagrass healthy is crucial for other species, not only serving as nesting area for fish, crustaceans, and vertebrates that people benefit from,” Trono said.

“If the seagrass will not be trimmed, it will disrupt its function to the environment, which eventually affects the production of the marine species which provide food to the people,” he noted.

During their stay in their feeding area, their discharge also serves as fertilizer for the seagrass.

Trono added that the hawksbill, which is omnivore once sexually mature, feeds on algae and sponges that would otherwise dominate coral reefs.

“Keeping the sponge population in check, [the hawksbill turtles] provide corals the space they need and in turn support reef biodiversity. Or else [the sponge] will choke the corals,” he added.

Leatherbacks, on the other hand, feed on jellyfish. If the latter’s population is unchecked, Trono noted, fish production will be at risk. Jellyfish, he said, preys on fish eggs and larvae in a way that it competes for the same food source as the fish stock.

Even a small hatchling plays a role as only about one in a thousand makes it to adulthood. And those that do not, Trono said, become a source of food for crabs and fish.

These facts were reiterated by Dr. Jimenez in an interview with MindaNews during a field visit in October.

Jimenez, who has an extensive work in marine biology (including marine turtles and dugongs in Dahican), said that the turtles’ survival, or decline, ripples far beyond their own existence, shaping the health of marine ecosystems and, ultimately, human communities.

She said that with healthy seagrass, fish population will increase, which in turn will benefit the fisherfolk.

“It’s a very simple role of our marine wildlife but it will really help the livelihood of our fisherfolk,” Jimenez said.

“In that case, turtles, in life and death, are significant in the ocean’s food web and in keeping the biodiversity in check,” she added.

Healthy seagrass means presence of dugongs

Healthy seagrass is not only good to marine turtles, but also to dugongs (Dugong dugon). Winston describes Dahican as both a dining table and a home to these two iconic marine grazers.

The presence of turtles and dugongs are indicators of healthy seagrass meadows, which in turn support fisheries and human nutrition, he adds.

“Dugongs have been sighted regularly in Dahican. It is because of the extensive seagrass of the area that we are able to observe them on numerous occasions,” Winston said.

He explains that turtles nibble at the seagrass, trimming it short. Meanwhile, dugongs graze differently — they scoop out entire clumps with their snouts, leaving trails like pathways on the sea floor.

“Together, they keep the meadow healthy. Without them, the grass grows too long, blocks sunlight, and eventually dies,” he said.

Healthy seagrass attracts fish, too, which in turn sustains the livelihood of local fisherfolk, Winston adds. When the seagrass thrives, the dugong will return, and turtles will keep coming to feed and nest on Dahican’s sands.

According to Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines, dugongs are the only marine mammals that are herbivorous, hence seagrass specialists, who prefer shallow tropical seas with abundant seagrass beds.

Dugongs have most recently been assessed for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2015, and is listed as Vulnerable.

In the Philippine setting, DENR Administrative Order 2019-09 or the Updated List of Threatened Philippine Fauna and their Categories also listed dugongs as Critically Endangered, which means that the species is facing extremely high risk of extension in the wild in the immediate future.

Human activities threaten turtles, dugongs

Being touted as the Skimboarding Capital of Mindanao, tourists often visit Dahican because of its waves. This way, tourism has also become part of the threats to these marine animals.

Jimenez said the status of Mayo Bay nowadays, especially with a lot of special events going on, has greatly affected the shoreline.

“The shoreline is full of plastic waste after every event, considering the influx of tourists. Sometimes the resorts do not monitor the beach,” she said.

In a 2018 study co-authored by Jimenez, plastic is the most common anthropogenic marine debris (AMD) in the marine environment. The presence of AMD in the sub-tidal areas of Mayo Bay indicates the lapses of implementation of solid waste management.

Jimenez said the marine turtles may confuse waste with food, leading to plastic accumulation in their stomachs, which prevents excretion and causes starvation.

When MindaNews visited the area and joined the coastal clean-up, several types of waste were collected, including bottles, plastic wrappers, plastic bags, plastic utensils, sachets, among others.

Fishing, a cornerstone of coastal livelihoods, paradoxically poses one of the gravest dangers to marine life. Marine animals are threatened to be by-catch. By-catch is when marine animals, particularly megafauna, often end up entangled in fishing nets, especially drifting gill nets.

“The presence of commercial boats in shallow municipal waters heightens the risk of entanglement,” Winston adds.

In the 2014-2016 study of Jimenez, it was revealed that most of the stranding cases among turtles happened at Dahican, with 10 of the 13 incidents. The causes of stranding were accounted for as by-catch, mostly through hook-and-line fishing (9 cases), three beached alive and one beached dead.

Of the live strandings, or when turtles came ashore, the marine animals were rehabilitated and then released.

In 2021, a dugong was stranded dead in Dahican beach, and was due to entanglement. Winston attributed the death to the continued fishing in shallow municipal waters by local fisherfolk.

Winston believes in order to prevent this from happening, the local government must collaborate with all stakeholders to draft comprehensive coastal development plans, utilizing zoning to protect sensitive habitats.

Role of the LGU

Jovelyn Lugo, Mati City Environment and Natural Resources Officer, said the city expresses strong emphasis on the protection of natural resources in Mayo Bay, one of the city’s gems.

Lugo said they have been strictly implementing the no-build zone policy in terms of easements to prevent construction of structures in the foreshore.

“This is to give way for the turtles as well since they do not have a permanent area to nest so it’s best to protect the whole beach,” she adds.

In 2011, the city council of Mati passed “A Resolution Declaring the Eastern Part of Mayo Bay going to Dahican Stretch vis-a-vis Bobon and Lawigan as Environmentally Critical Areas (ECAs).”

DENR Administrative Order 96-37 Art Il Sec. 1-b defines Environmentally Critical Areas as those set aside as potential tourist spots; which are the habitats of endangered or threatened species of indigenous Philippine plants and animals; mangrove areas and coral reefs which have critical ecological functions on which people depend for livelihood.

“The area is the prime site of ecotourism destination for its beautiful scenery and a long stretch beach and a habitat of ‘dugong’ (Seacow), ‘butanding’ (Whale Shark), pawikan (turtles of 4 different species), dolphins and stingrays,” the resolution stated.

It emphasized the importance of integrating efforts and actions of all citizens in environmental governance in the protection and conservation of natural resources.

“Though it is not part of a protected area, with that resolution the LGU expressed strong protection of the area,” Lugo added.

She added that excavating sand in the beach is prohibited since it is a nesting habitat of the turtles.

“This is to protect the beach of Dahican because there are a lot who are interested in white sand, and it should not be disturbed because of the marine animals there,” Lugo said.

Need for stricter enforcement on the ground

While Pedro Plaza recognized the existence of the resolution, he said there needs to be stricter enforcement on the ground.

When their hatchery and watchtower was demolished in 2024, the Task Force Mati Shoreline Management established its own watchtower.

Also, the city administrator’s office has created a zoning and laning map of Dahican Beach where were created: a “no swimming zone,” a “swimming zone,” and an “angling area.”

Angling areas are where the residents are allowed to catch fish. A navigation lane through buoys was established for fishermen to avoid interference from swimmers and guests.

However, Pedro said despite the existence of these policies, fishing activities are still observed in shallow waters.

When MindaNews joined Pedro in paddleboarding to watch the turtles as early as 5 a.m., two fishermen were already retrieving their net after setting it the whole night.

They were only about 10 meters away from the shoreline. Pedro said they cannot push these fishermen away since they only depend on the sea for their food and survival.

Unregulated hook-and-line fishing in critical foraging areas such as in known seagrass beds of the dugongs and turtles poses a direct threat of entanglement and by-catch, which has led dugong deaths in the past.

Pedro said that his organization, the Amihan, and the local purok are at the forefront of these challenges. “But without the full regulatory and enforcement power of the city government, our efforts remain insufficient to address the root causes,” he added.

Amihan, in a concept paper dated September 25 submitted to Mati City Mayor Joel Mayo Z. Almario, emphasized the need to formally declare a “Dugong and Sea Turtle Conservation Zone” and enforce a “no-fishing” and “no take zone” in designated dugong foraging areas.

They also recommended a “no-entry” zone for all land vehicles in identified sea turtle nesting beaches. The group noted that a city ordinance banning all non-emergency or non-authorized vehicles from driving on the sandy shoreline, with consistent patrols and penalties for violators, must be passed.

The group stressed that the unrestricted vehicular traffic on sandy shorelines is a challenge to the marine turtles as it destroys the vegetation of the sand and directly threatens incubating turtle eggs.

A comprehensive solid waste management plan should also be in place such that highly visible and durable waste collection bins along the beach should be strategically placed, Amihan proposed. A strict enforcement of a “leave no trace” policy, with penalties for littering, is warranted, the group added.

“We humbly appeal to the City Mayor and the relevant committees to champion these interventions. We believe that by combining the city government’s authority with our community-level commitment, we can create a sustainable future for Dahican,” it said.

The group said it is willing to collaborate on a formal management plan, participate in enforcement, and lead public information campaigns.

Councilor Tara Marie Gayta, chair of the committee on environment of the city council, told MindaNews that while the resolution is existing, there is a lack of a reinforcement, hence the need for a city ordinance.

“A part of the provisions of the city ordinance will highlight the necessary measures as part of conservation initiatives, especially in Dahican shoreline which we have declared as nesting ground for pawikan,” Gayta added.

The proposed ordinance will include penal provisions for illegal activities and the necessary authorities to oversee the enforcement, she said.

At present, Gayta’s committee is working with Amihan and the DORSU to collate the data needed in crafting the ordinance.

She said that they intend the proposed ordinance to be “data-based and research-based,” and thankful that Amihan is very helpful and DORSU has the necessary research on the status of the marine mammals and the landscape of Dahican as a nesting ground.

Tourism in harmony with nature

MENRO Lugo emphasized that while tourism offers a window into the ocean’s wonders, its unchecked growth can disturb fragile marine ecosystems and in return disrupt human development.

“One of the 10-point agenda of the city is environmental sustainability. We really acknowledge that eco-tourism will not exist if there is no environment. It is the reward for Matinians that we care for our environment so we have an eco-tourism industry,” Lugo adds.

Jimenez reiterated that tourism has to be in harmony with nature because one cannot exist without the other.

“We should balance the economy as well as the environment in particular because we cannot have an economy if we don’t have resources. We don’t have tourism if we don’t have any resources that can be visited by our tourists, so it should be balanced,” Jimenez adds.

The Plaza brothers, who were once known as deadly dynamite fishers, emphasized it is crucial to conserve the turtles for the benefit of the future generations.

“Protecting turtles is protecting the sea and protecting the community itself,” Winston said.

“We want Dahican to be known not just for perfect waves for skimboarding or the white sand beach,” he says, “but for the way we protected what makes this place alive.” (Nova Mae Francas / MindaNews)

This story is published with the support of Canal France International under the Media for One Health program.