The Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) of Apo Island in Dauin, Negros Oriental, has allocated some PHP 130,000 for a work and financial plan to determine the type of docking space for motorboats coming to the island.

Charlie Fabre, regional executive director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Negros Island Region (DENR-NIR), told the Philippine News Agency in an interview on Wednesday that Apo Island must have a floating wharf or any similar structure that can accommodate motorboats.

“Without a docking facility on the island, the current practice of motorboats dropping anchor off the shores of the island contributes to further degradation of the corals,” Fabre said.

At a recent PAMB meeting, the board agreed to finance a study to identify the most suitable type of berthing facility on the island that supports development while being environmentally sustainable, he added.

Fabre said the offer is made to the Silliman University Institute of Environmental and Marine Sciences (SUIEMS), headed by Dr. Aileen Maypa.

Maypa has yet to respond to the board’s invitation to conduct the study, he added.

The DENR-Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB) halted the Apo Island jetty port project in July of this year because of environmental breaches.

The DENR-BMB released a Cease and Desist Order for the project, which was challenged by marine specialists from Silliman University and various environmental organizations because of the project’s effect on the island’s abundant marine biodiversity.

Fabre mentioned that a movable floating dock, which could be relocated across the island based on the season or weather, might be a possibility, and that helix pins should replace drilling altogether.

He is hopeful that the study will be finished in the coming months to allow for a docking facility to be established in Apo Island, which is declared by law as a protected landscape and seascape. (PNA)