Ãkosünden in the diving paradise.

Treacherousness reefs as a souvenir, kicks against corals on Panglao, one of the most beautiful dive sites in the world, environmental sins are not uncommon. Illegal fishing also disrupt the ecosystem of the Philippines island before - but environmentalists deal with sometimes ruthless methods of defense.

 

Soft outweigh the palm trees in the slight breeze. On the narrow white sand eels are a couple of sun-hungry tourists. Blue Pacific sparkles in the sun.

Alona Beach, on the Philippine island of Panglao is a tropical dream beach. On the horizon are high volcanoes on other islands of the Visayas to see. Small cafes and restaurants invite you to linger, with colorful umbrellas to protect against the hot sun.

Diving schools offer excursions to the coral reefs around Panglao, which
to the best dive sites in the world. The island and its on a small bridge to reach larger sister Bohol are the hottest newcomer in the Philippines-Tourism - after the mass influx of the former dream destinations and Cebu Bocaray their magic has taken.

Alone in the waters around Panglao is the species diversity is greater than in the whole Mediterranean Sea, which has four years ago an international team of scientists under the Panglao Marine Biodiversity Project "found out. The area is part of the "coral triangle" between Malaysia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Indonesia and the Philippines also. The area is about half as big as the size of the United States - and is home to 75 percent of all coral species riffbauenden the world.

But the diversity of coral reefs in the Triangle is under threat. Overfishing and pollution of the marine environment by waste and toxins harmful to marine flora and fauna. Plastic bags and cans are careless in the rivers of the islands and then disposed of into the sea rinsed.

Then there is the creeping, almost invisible threat of climate change. "We still have no coral bleaching, but we provide a number of years since weather changes," says Kurt Biebelmann whose diving school Atlantis Dive Center, "one of the many German companies in Alona Beach.

We have "bad manners Diving a bigger problem," says Biebelmann. In particular hobby divers from Asian countries like South Korea was gruff with the coral reefs around. "The breaking pieces as a souvenir or present themselves to coral, with its more expensive underwater cameras to photograph the fish can."

By speed boat against illegal fishing

Even some of the 17 dive schools in Alona Beach, a year more than 10,000 divers on the reefs send in the criticism. "Especially the bases run by locals have no sense of sustainability, but want a quick profit," complains Holger Horn of Bohol Fundivers ". "That goes at the expense of the environment and often the safety of customers." Many entrepreneurs from abroad but was not much better: "The saying is, I am perhaps a maximum of ten years here, and in time I will as much as possible to get - after me the deluge."

Horn has no understanding of the careless handling of the reefs. Already interest from business entrepreneurs need to be interested in their preservation, he says: "Without the reefs, there would be no tourism here." A square meter of coral was intact for the coastal tourism per year worth $ 40,000, he estimates.

Entrepreneurs like Biebelmann and horn set for years with local politicians and businessmen for the protection of the waters and reefs On - sometimes ruthless methods: "We have speed boats through the nets of illegal fishermen and have driven it so torn apart," says Horn.

In general, the Endvierziger conviction but rather through education. As a lecturer at the Department of Tourism of the Catholic University of Holy word on Bohol clarifies his students about the importance of the environment as a source of life and income. Moreover, the ex-officer as commander of a unit of the Philippine Coast Guard to patrol regularly rides and sees' first signs of success, for example, the containment of dynamite fishing. "

At least on paper, there are laws in the Philippines, the destruction of the environment to counteract. Only problem is their enforcement. Time is no money for projects there. Or it is there, but bureaucracy delayed the payment. A major problem is corruption, the marine, the commercial fishermen and large short-term tourism entrepreneurs in the way.

Dive with police officers

Biebelmann had a weekend in April a group of senior police officers from Manila to host in his Kalipayan Beach Resort. With them he went to dive and snorkel tour: "So they were able to satisfy themselves as to the beauty of the reefs and the diversity of its inhabitants make a picture. Anyone who has once experienced, will understand why a seahorse or a coral animal is worth protecting," says Biebelmann.

A major problem is wrangling skills. After the overthrow of dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986, the political power in the Philippines decentralization - local government may own laws and rules. "We have had four or five years, a number of protected areas," says Horn. But on Panglao were "three administrative units, and can not on common standards and some rules."

These problems also have the other countries in the Coral Triangle. Two years ago, the countries bordering with environmental organizations and international institutions for the "Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) together. This week, meet the leaders of the six states CTI on the first "World Ocean Conference in Manado on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. They want it in a "Declaration of Manado" a roadmap for the protection of the coral triangle set - both for the benefit of the environment as well as the millions of people in the region under the sea and fishing livelihoods are.