Photo courtesy of Romeo Trono
Romeo Trono is a Program Management Specialist for UNOPS and the Philippine National Coordinator for a Global Environment Facility-funded initiative to help countries meet the targets of a strategic action program for the marine and coastal environment of the South China Sea. In a GEF Voices interview, he spoke of his passion for sea turtle conservation and urged young people to spend time in the field to truly understand environmental needs.
How did you get into this line of work?
I’ve been working on protected area conservation ever since I finished my studies in marine fisheries at the University of the Philippines. Early in my career, I began focusing on sea turtle conservation – at one point spending at least three months every year at the marine turtle sanctuary in the Turtle Islands in the province of Tawi-Tawi. Of all the protected areas I have worked in and supported, the Turtle Islands have always been the foundation of my more than three decades of career in conservation. It was on those islands where I developed and nurtured my passion for protected areas and species conservation.
Our goal was straightforward: to stop and eventually reverse the 88 percent decline in nesting incidence and release as many hatchlings as we can into the wild. Almost 40 years later, annual nesting data from the Baguan Island marine turtle sanctuary in the Turtle Islands, Tawi-Tawi, showed a 700 percent increase from our baseline data in 1984. I have since broadened the scope of my professional work into marine ecoregions, marine protected areas networks, and have served as a technical and policy adviser in government, including in the office of the Philippine president related to biodiversity and climate change.
Could you describe a project you are currently working on?
I am a national coordinator for the GEF-funded Implementing the Strategic Action Program for the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand, which seeks to enable countries to meet targets for the marine and coastal environment of the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand. This is done by implementing National Action Plans and strengthening regional co-ordination. It involves the cooperation of participating countries, intergovernmental and regional organizations, public-private sector partnerships, civil society, non-governmental organizations, and leading scientists from the region.
Has anyone you have met through your work made a lasting impact on you?
There are two scientists who had a strong and lasting impact on my career. One is my father, Gavino C Trono Jr. (now 94 years old), who was conferred the title of National Scientist by the Philippine President in 2014 for his immense contributions to the study of tropical marine phycology, focusing on seaweed biodiversity and seaweed farming. His decades of work raised the profile of seaweeds consistently as the number three marine export product from the Philippines while alleviating poverty among poor fisherfolk. My early foray into the marine space, as an elementary school student, was during my dad’s summer field classes with his university students, and accompanying him on field work when he was training local fisherfolk in seaweed farming technologies. He taught me how to snorkel and free-dive at a very young age. I can still remember the excitement and amazement I experienced every time I went snorkeling with my dad. Those experiences sparked my interest and passion for the underwater world, which led me to a parallel career path as a professional SCUBA diving instructor and gave me deeper knowledge and skills required in the performance of my marine conservation work.
The other person is Colin J. Limpus, who recently retired as chief scientific officer of threatened species operations for the Queensland Department of Environment and Science in Australia. His deep knowledge and passion for sea turtles are so infectious that they remain with you. He has influenced the development of local and international research methods, policies and management strategies not just for sea turtles but for other marine species as well. Colin mentored me and my young team of sea turtle researchers in the early 1980s. We spent days and nights on turtle nesting beaches and conducted research dives in coral reefs, which are the feeding and developmental habitats of sea turtles. Those experiences awakened my passion for sea turtles and started my more than 30-year career in conservation.
What life lessons has working on environmental issues taught you?
Conservation work is intergenerational. Passion, integrity, courage, and perseverance are values needed to achieve success. Seeing younger generation conservation workers continuing the work you started is a personal indicator of success.
What advice would you give a young person is interested in an environmental career?
Do not be satisfied with attending numerous meetings and workshops. Instead, try to spend long periods and quality time in the field and conservation frontlines where conservation actions are badly needed. Do not fall into a “paralysis by analysis” trap. Adapt to difficult situations in the field. Lessons from the field form ideas for more realistic, responsive, and effective conservation interventions. Passion, integrity, courage, resourcefulness, perseverance, empathy, and emotional maturity are values needed to achieve success.
