Re-cycling of chemical elements (nutrients) of chemical

matter in ecosystems: biogeochemical cycle

Nitrogen (N2) Cycle
Phosphorus Cycle
 Carbon Cycle

↓
Non-renewable fossil fuels (oil, natural gas)
 Agricultural food production for hungry Filipinos

Increasing human population requires increased food production

 Human impact on global biogeochemical cycles
To sustain human survival, we rely on biogeochemical cycles to re-cycle
nutrients from the food we eat and the waste we generate

Excess by-products of intense human activities accumulate on land, in

oceans, contributing to greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
which warms the planet.
 Link Between Red Meat Diet and Climate Change

Land use
FW usage
GHG emissions

“….both the environment and the climate will benefit if people

adopt a lower-calorie diet low in meat consumption, especially
beef. Beef uses more land and freshwater and generates more
greenhouse gas emissions per unit of protein than any other
commonly consumed food.”
Cultural eutrophication versus Natural eutrophication
Cultural eutrophication: harmful algal blooms and fish kills

Boracay Island paradise?? Intensive fish farming

Biological magnification (= bioaccumulation)
Biological magnification (= bioaccumulation)

Dead sperm whale in Indonesia found with 6

kg of plastic in stomach!!!
– Agence France Presse News, 21 November 2018
Coastal resources in the Philippines: inter-dependence of coastal habitat functions
 Coastal resources in the Philippines
Coral reefs (3 million hectares)
• Only 5% in excellent
condition
• Annual fishery loss of
855,000 tons

Mangroves and seagrasses

(0.5 million hectares)
• Only 10% remaining of
old growth
• Annual fishery loss of
330,000 tons

Overall loss: Marine biodiversity

 Coastal resources in the Philippines: the state of coastal fishery

http://www.searca.org/phocadownload/ADSS_2015/adss-
Assessing%20Vulnerability%20of%20Fisheries%20in%20the%20Philippines%20to%20Climate%20Change%20Impacts%20Tool%20for%20Understanding%20Resilience%20of%20Fisheri
es-2015-Mar-17.pdf
Coastal resources in the Philippines: the state of the coastal fishery

Depleted fishery stocks in the Visayan Sea and elsewhere have left coastal fisherfolks
impoverished as ever (Photos by RJ Maliao)
Coastal resources in the Philippines: the state of coastal fishery

Q. Are there ways of protecting the coastal fishery?

Coastal resources in the Philippines: the state of coastal fishery: marine protected area
Coastal resources in the Philippines: the state of coastal fishery: marine protected area
 How will YOU protect the
Earth’s resources?

“Think globally, act locally”