Establishment of a LA-MC-ICP-MS facility

Establishment of a LA-MC-ICP-MS facility in support of Strengthening the Marine Protected Area System to Conserve Marine Key Biodiversity Areas in the Philippines (SMARTSeas PH) Project sites of the DENR

The SMARTSeas PH Project, implemented by DENR-BMB, was developed to accelerate the establishment of marine protected areas (MPAs) and MPA Networks to reduce and arrest the rapid degradation of marine and coastal habitats. Currently, SMARTSeas PH has five (5) project sites (with the following characteristics): Batangas-Mindoro (highest shore fish biodiversity and 8 rare coral species), Palawan (58,400 hectares or 42% of the country’s mangroves), Taxon Strait (14 species of cetaceans), Surigao-Siargao (hawksbill and green sea turtles), and Davao Gulf (feeding ground of 7 species of whales and 4 species of dolphins). One of the objectives of SMARTSeas PH is “to reduce pollution level against baseline levels” in these sites.