Environmental advocates are calling for stronger biodiversity protection in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, including a national law to safeguard the Verde Island Passage (VIP), as countries prepare for the first global review of progress under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework at the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17).
During a media briefing on Oct. 16, advocates urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to accelerate efforts to protect 30% of the region’s land, inland waters and seas by 2030, while recognizing the rights and livelihoods of fisherfolk, Indigenous peoples and other communities that depend on natural resources.
The framework’s first global review indicates that existing national commitments would protect only around 23% of land and marine ecosystems by 2030, falling short of the 30% target, according to the briefing.
Adopted under the Convention on Biological Diversity, the framework sets 23 global targets to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. These include expanding protected areas and minimizing the effects of climate change on biodiversity.
Center for Energy and Development (CEED) Lead Campaigner for Southeast Asia Anj Dacanay said countries have made progress in addressing biodiversity loss, but implementation remains inadequate.
“The global report suggests that a lot of actions were taken by parties to the CBD, specifically for the Global Biodiversity Framework since it was launched in 2022. But very slow yung progress across all the 23 target action under the framework,” Ms. Dacanay said.
Under Target 3, which calls for protecting 30% of the world’s land, inland waters and seas by 2030, existing national commitments would cover only around 23% of land and marine ecosystems. Ms. Dacanay said governments need to raise their ambitions and strengthen actions across the framework’s targets.
Despite covering only about 3% of the world’s land area, Southeast Asia holds nearly 20% of global plant and animal species and more than a quarter of the world’s coral reef species. The region also contains nearly 40% of global mangroves, making regional cooperation crucial to biodiversity conservation.
Advocates called on ASEAN governments to adopt a people-centered approach to conservation, protect critical biodiversity areas from fossil fuel development and other destructive activities, and ensure local communities participate in decisions affecting their resources and livelihoods.
They also urged countries to move faster toward the goal of protecting 30% of the region’s land, water and seas by 2030.
Ms. Dacanay raised concerns about offshore oil and gas development across the Coral Triangle, where an estimated 2.1 million square kilometers of offshore oil and gas blocks are located. According to the briefing presentation, around 210,000 square kilometers of conservation areas overlap with these blocks, affecting marine mammal areas, key biodiversity areas and marine protected areas.
The advocates urged ASEAN governments to recognize the destructive effects of fossil fuels and other extractive industries, declare critical biodiversity areas off-limits to destructive activities, and put local communities, fisherfolk and Indigenous peoples at the center of conservation policies.
VERDE ISLAND PASSAGE FACES MOUNTING PRESSURE
In the Philippines, the Protect VIP campaign is pushing for national legislation to safeguard the Verde Island Passage, a marine corridor spanning Batangas, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque and Romblon.
Center for Energy Ecology and Development (CEED) Lead of the Oceans Program Martha Vergara described the passage as one of the world’s most important centers of marine biodiversity.
“If the Coral Triangle is the center of marine biodiversity in the Philippines, we have the center of the center of marine shore fish biodiversity,” Ms. Vergara said, describing the passage as the “Amazon of the Oceans.”
The passage is home to more than 546 coral species, equivalent to about 76% of the world’s known coral species, and more than 2,263 reef fish species. It also supports marine mammals such as dugongs, whales and dolphins, while six of the world’s seven marine turtle species find refuge in its waters.
Beyond its ecological importance, the passage generates about P12 billion in annual fishing income and supports approximately two million Filipinos through fishing, tourism, transportation and other sectors, according to the campaign’s briefing materials.
“That’s really how important the Verde Island Passage is, not just to the five provinces, but to Filipinos, to all Filipinos,” Ms. Vergara said.
However, the area faces mounting pressure from pollution, climate change and industrial development along its coasts.
The 2023 MT Princess Empress oil spill caused an estimated P41.2 billion in ecological damages, according to the campaign presentation. Rising sea levels, ocean acidification and stronger typhoons pose additional risks to marine ecosystems and the communities that rely on them.
The campaign’s presentation also identified 157 heavy industrial facilities in proximity to the marine corridor, including ports, power facilities, manufacturing and cement plants, mining operations and petrochemical facilities. Batangas had the highest concentration of these industries.
Water quality remains another concern. CEED has conducted water quality testing in the passage since 2023. Results from February 2026 showed that oil-and-grease measurements in six fish sanctuaries and reserves in Pinamalayan and Pola, Oriental Mindoro, exceeded the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ applicable water quality guidelines.
Ms. Vergara said seagrass cover at monitoring sites in Isla Verde had recovered but subsequently declined between 2024 and 2026, highlighting the vulnerability of marine ecosystems to pollution.
“The VIP is very much vulnerable to these types of pollutants, and the ecosystems or the biodiversity are vulnerable to these pollutants,” she said.
CAMPAIGN SEEKS NATIONAL LAW FOR THE PASSAGE
Protect VIP is calling for a national law that would provide more consistent protection across the entire marine corridor. The campaign brings together fisherfolk, coastal communities, youth groups, civil society organizations, faith-based groups and other sectors.
Existing marine protected areas and local ordinances have supported conservation efforts, but their coverage, enforcement and resources vary across municipalities. Advocates said national legislation could provide a unified framework to coordinate protection across provincial and municipal boundaries.
Ms. Vergara said the proposed legislation was developed with fisherfolk, who identified their own non-negotiable measures for protecting the passage.
“Our fisherfolk are the stewards of this very, very important marine corridor,” she said.
The campaign said the passage has also been proposed for designation as a protected area under the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act and as a Key Biodiversity Area under the Philippine Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.
Ms. Vergara said the first congressional hearing on bills seeking protection for the passage was held on Oct. 7. The committee is expected to consolidate the proposals before a second hearing. The bills were filed by Representatives Leila de Lima, Javi Benitez and King Collantes, according to her briefing.
She also cited a directive from the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights calling for Philippine action to protect the passage by March 31, 2027.
“Protection of the VIP also means protection of human rights,” Ms. Vergara said.
For advocates, protecting the passage is not only an environmental concern but also a matter of safeguarding human rights, food security and the livelihoods of coastal communities.
CALLS FOR STRONGER REGIONAL ACTION
The campaign for the Verde Island Passage reflects a broader challenge facing governments as they work to meet international biodiversity commitments: translating conservation targets into enforceable policies, adequate resources and sustained implementation.
In Palawan, Ms. Dacanay said there are 14 active offshore oil and gas or petroleum service contracts, raising concerns about potential impacts on biodiversity, tourism, livelihoods and food security.
She said further degradation of Palawan could affect communities beyond the province, including large parts of Luzon that depend on its ecosystems and resources.
Civil society groups and their allies were scheduled to launch a campaign in Puerto Princesa on Oct. 20 to raise concerns about offshore oil and gas expansion and its potential effects on Palawan, which advocates describe as the Philippines’ last ecological frontier.
The broader push ahead of CBD COP17 is for governments to translate biodiversity commitments into concrete and equitable action, strengthen ecosystem protection, and safeguard the rights and livelihoods of the communities that depend on natural resources. — Kaizer Angela Marie V. Manuba