Philippine Rare, Threatened and Endangered Species

Oceans are the lifeblood of planet Earth and humankind. They flow over nearly three-quarters of our
planet, and hold 97% of the planet's water. They produce more than half of the oxygen in the
atmosphere, and absorb the most carbon from it.
The air that you breathe, the water you drink, the food you eat, the products that keep you warm, safe,
informed, and entertained — all can come from or be transported by the ocean.
No matter how far from the shore that you live, oceans still affect your life and the lives of your
families and friends, classmates and colleagues.
The International Coastal Clean-Up (ICC) Day should not just be about picking up litter along coastlines,
according to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
The DILG says that local government units (LGUs) and volunteers are also encouraged to help in efforts
to identify and record the rubbish collected for analysis by pollution specialists.
Information from the data analysis will determine the effects specific materials have on the ocean habitat,
and in identifying the best remedies and advocacies to counter water pollution.

According to the DILG, the data that volunteers will write down are relevant contributions in ensuring that
our children will have their fair share of clean and healthy ocean, river or lake in the future.

In a directive, the DILG says LGUs may register at the Ocean Conservancy website
(https://sites.google.com/site/iccphilippines/home) or may send Ocean Conservancy an email to signify
their interest to join and to request for a formal invitation to the ICC event.

The DILG also directs its regional offices to monitor the conduct of clean-up activities in their respective
localities and ensure the active participation of their constituents; make certain that LGUs accomplish and
submit the Ocean Trash Data form to ICC Philippines; and to participate in the conduct of clean ups and
proper recording and submission of data to ICC Philippines.

About half of the world’s population lives within the coastal zone, and ocean-based businesses
contribute more than $500 billion to the world’s economy. Historically, we thought that we could never
take too much out of, or put too much waste into the oceans.
The sheer number of people who use and depend on the ocean, and the sometimes unwise practices
we adopt, have created problems such as overharvest of resources, reduction in biodiversity, and
degradation of marine habitats and species, among others. We risk the very ecosystems on which our
survival depends.

As evident in the above description, a multidisciplinary approach is very important in this program.
Using this approach, we seek to satisfy the following general goals:

 First, and foremost the cleanup provides our team with data.
 The International Coastal Cleanup is a great way to get people involved.
 The International Coastal Cleanup is an easy way to give back.