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General Description
- ADPLS has a total area of 10,774.68 hectares, with a marine area cover of 10,564.68 hectares (98%), a terrestrial area of 210 hectares (2%), and with approximately 26.4 km combined coastline of the three municipalities. ADPLS has a Strict Protection Zone/Habitat Conservation/Restoration Zone of 2,253.34 hectares (20.91%) and a Multiple Use Zone of 8,521.34 hectares (79.09%).
- The marine ecosystems in the ADPLS include 18.72 hectares of mangrove stands (7 species), 30.24 hectares of seagrass beds (5 species), 1.2 hectares of artificial reefs, and stretches of fine black sand beaches covering approximately 30 km of coastline.
- ADPLS also hosts numerous faunal assemblages consisting of economically important finfishes (39 species), invertebrates, and birds. Other high-value species are grouper, snapper, seabass, siganid (rabbitfishes), silver pompano, etc.
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Primary Threats
- Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing; marine-based pollution; cutting of mangroves; coastal erosion; and land-based pollution.
- Threats to fisheries include blast fishing, cyanide fishing, and other illegal fishing activities that have raised concerns to communities, and encroachment of trawl fishing in the municipal fishing ground.
- Mangrove areas are often cleared off as they are thought to be unproductive and smelly. This mindset appears to be motivated by the stakeholders’ low awareness and appreciation of the ecosystem services that mangroves provide, and hence seems to rationalise this act of untoward recklessness. Mangroves are cleared to give way to fishponds and other developments; thus, coastal dynamics are negatively affected.
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