[OPINION] Land reclamation demands a delicate balancing act

'Land reclamation is a tool, neither inherently good nor inherently bad. Its impact largely depends on how it is employed.'

News ran rife of the suspension of land reclamation projects in Manila Bay. While there seems to be conflicting details in the statements of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga regarding the suspension order, it is certain that land reclamation as an undertaking has gained renewed attention in the public discourse. After all, land reclamation alters the natural environment in ways other human activities do not.

The earliest known land reclamation activity in the Philippines took place in the 19th century when Spanish colonizers dredged the waters in the western portion of Intramuros to construct the old port . Land reclamation irreversibly alters the natural environment; it disrupts the natural coastal ecosystem, and with that, marine and aquatic habitats. Mangroves, coral reefs, and other sensitive marine environments are often irreparably damaged during the reclamation process. These ecosystems provide critical services such as flood control, water purification, and habitat for marine life.

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