The Tubbataha reef is one of the tourist spot of Palawan.The Location of Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (TRNP) lies in the middle of the Sulu Sea and falls under the political jurisdiction of Cagayancillo, an island municipality situated 130km to the north. The park is around 150km southeast of Puerto Princesa City - capital of the Province of Palawan.
11 August 1988. Established under Proclamation No. 306; also protected under Presidential Decree No. 705 (Forestry Reform Code). Tubbataha Reef Marine Park forms part of the Palawan Biosphere Reserve, which was internationally recognized under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme in 1990. Tubbataha Reef Marine Park was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1993.
Tubbataha is exposed to both the south-west and north-east monsoons. Rough seas are experienced from July to October and from November to March during the north-east monsoon.
Tubbataha, considered to be one of the top SCUBA destinations in the country, is visited by approximately 1,500 national and international divers between March and June.
The coral atolls of Tubbataha and Jessie Beazley began to form
thousands of years ago as fringing reefs of volcanic islands along the Cagayan Ridge. Over millennia - as the volcanoes became extinct and the islands sunk into the ocean depths - only the corals remained and they continued to grow upwards towards the sunlight.
before , many years ago, Tubbataha is well known to fishermen of the southern Philippines but until the late 1970s, Cagayanons were the primary users of the reefs' resources. During the summer, they would make fishing trips to Tubbataha in fleets of traditional wooden sailboats.Tubbataha's isolation and its susceptibility to harsh weather once protected it from over-exploitation. But by the 1980s, fishermen from other parts of the Philippines started exploiting Tubbataha in motorized boats, many using destructive fishing techniques to maximize their catch.In 1988 - in response to a vigorous campaign by Philippine scuba divers and environmentalists alike - President Corazon Aquino declared Tubbataha a National Marine Park.
Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park is home to no less than:573 species of fish379 species of corals (about half of all coral species in the world)11 species of sharks12 species of dolphins & whalesNesting Hawksbill & Green sea turtlesOver 100 species of birdsThe park contains roughly 10,000 hectares of coral reef, lying at the heart of the Coral Triangle - the centre of global marine biodiversity.
Tubbataha has remained relatively pristine due to its inaccessibility and its isolation from population centers. However, up to 1991 there have been increasing disturbances from blast fishing, large scale collection of sea bird and marine turtle eggs, giant clams and other marine resources, spear fishing, collection of aquarium fish and disturbances to wildlife. This has now largely been stopped. A commercial operation to establish an extensive seaweed farming operation with up to 24,000 people located on the islands has been dismantled after being in illegal operation for six months. The protection of the reefs directly affects people from the Cagayancillo Municipality, and UNESCO reports that in the past there has been resentment amongst local people for not being included in conservation initiatives.
11 August 1988. Established under Proclamation No. 306; also protected under Presidential Decree No. 705 (Forestry Reform Code). Tubbataha Reef Marine Park forms part of the Palawan Biosphere Reserve, which was internationally recognized under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme in 1990. Tubbataha Reef Marine Park was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1993.
Tubbataha is exposed to both the south-west and north-east monsoons. Rough seas are experienced from July to October and from November to March during the north-east monsoon.
Tubbataha, considered to be one of the top SCUBA destinations in the country, is visited by approximately 1,500 national and international divers between March and June.
The coral atolls of Tubbataha and Jessie Beazley began to form
thousands of years ago as fringing reefs of volcanic islands along the Cagayan Ridge. Over millennia - as the volcanoes became extinct and the islands sunk into the ocean depths - only the corals remained and they continued to grow upwards towards the sunlight.
before , many years ago, Tubbataha is well known to fishermen of the southern Philippines but until the late 1970s, Cagayanons were the primary users of the reefs' resources. During the summer, they would make fishing trips to Tubbataha in fleets of traditional wooden sailboats.Tubbataha's isolation and its susceptibility to harsh weather once protected it from over-exploitation. But by the 1980s, fishermen from other parts of the Philippines started exploiting Tubbataha in motorized boats, many using destructive fishing techniques to maximize their catch.In 1988 - in response to a vigorous campaign by Philippine scuba divers and environmentalists alike - President Corazon Aquino declared Tubbataha a National Marine Park.
Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park is home to no less than:573 species of fish379 species of corals (about half of all coral species in the world)11 species of sharks12 species of dolphins & whalesNesting Hawksbill & Green sea turtlesOver 100 species of birdsThe park contains roughly 10,000 hectares of coral reef, lying at the heart of the Coral Triangle - the centre of global marine biodiversity.
Tubbataha has remained relatively pristine due to its inaccessibility and its isolation from population centers. However, up to 1991 there have been increasing disturbances from blast fishing, large scale collection of sea bird and marine turtle eggs, giant clams and other marine resources, spear fishing, collection of aquarium fish and disturbances to wildlife. This has now largely been stopped. A commercial operation to establish an extensive seaweed farming operation with up to 24,000 people located on the islands has been dismantled after being in illegal operation for six months. The protection of the reefs directly affects people from the Cagayancillo Municipality, and UNESCO reports that in the past there has been resentment amongst local people for not being included in conservation initiatives.
