GENERAL SANTOS CITY—The crown of thorns starfish that have been destroying corals in the 215,950-hectare Sarangani Bay Protected Seascape (SBPS) have found their match among women in coastal communities here. “We are delighted that most of our volunteers are women,” said Maria Elvira Lumayag, the provincial environment and natural resources officer of Sarangani. ADVERTISEMENTAt least 51,491 crown of thorns have been collected, so far, across Sarangani Bay, the Pamo said. She said Sarangani Bay had been experiencing crown of thorns outbreaks since November 2021.Considered by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as a key marine biodiversity area, Sarangani Bay is host to coral resources, including 60 important live hard coral species, 411 reef species and 11 species of seagrass. Dense aggregations of crown of thorns can strip a reef of 90 percent of living coral tissue, the network said.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer January 28, 2022 00:55 UTC