CURRENT PROBLEMS

 

Being at the heart of the country’s urban and industrial center, Laguna de Bay is threatened by inevitable price of progress-rapid population growth, land conversion, water pollution, and over fishing.

LAND CONVERSION

The total land area of the Laguna de Bay watershed is approximately 2, 920 sq. km. A major transformation was noted in the region in 1996-2000. During this period, 25 percent of areas for commercial and non-commercial forest and 67 percent for agriculture were greatly reduced to five percent and 52 percent, respectively, as the lake region became more industrialized.

Built-up and industrial areas now account for 29 percent of the total land area. Open unproductive grasslands also grew from eight to 14 percent during the same period. These changes in land use and land cover indicate the occurrence of deforestation which could lead to soil erosion and impair the hydrology of the basin.

TRUE COLORS

(Landsat images (above) showing basic land cover changes in a span of nine years)

FALSE COLORS

(Landsat images (above) showing basic land cover changes in a span of nine years)

EXOTIC SPECIES PROLIFERATION

In the recent years, exotic species of plants and aquatic organisms were introduced into the sub-basins that, in turn, have reached the lake basin. Invasive exotic species compete with native species for food and space.

The Thai catfish Clarias batrachus, displaced the native catfish Clarias macrocephalus, and the golden apple snail Pomacea canaliculata displaced the native snail Pila luzonica.

WATER POLLUTION