Six countries to benefit from law protecting Coral Triangle

MANILA, Philippines - At least 120 million people from six countries directly depending on the Coral Triangle for their food supply now stand to benefit from the Tubbataha Reef Natural Park Act which places the 97,030-hectare Tubbataha Reef in Palawan under a permanent protection status.

Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Horacio Ramos said Republic Act 10067 which President Arroyo recently signed into law assures the preservation of the Coral Triangle.

“Under the protection of a national law, the viability of the Tubbataha Reef Natural Park (TRNP) is assured, benefiting not only generations of Filipinos but also those of our neighboring countries in the Indo-Pacific region,” he said.

The rich marine biodiversity of the reef comprises a significant part of the rich marine life of the Coral Triangle which is a a vast expanse of marine waters shared by the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste.

Ramos said the new law marks the swift delivery of the Philippines’ contribution to cross-boundary conservation efforts as in the case of protecting the 2.3 million square-mile Coral Triangle whose area is shared by six countries.

The TRNP, according to the DENR, is home to 10,000 coral reefs, 483 species of fish, two nesting species of marine turtles and nine species of marine mammals. 

Studies show that it is significantly important to the country’s food production for fish in the area, if kept at its healthy state, can contribute 20 to 35 tons of fish and other marine products per square kilometer per year.