Great Santa Cruz Island is a small inhabited island in

Zamboanga City Zamboanga City, officially the City of Zamboanga (Chavacano and es, Ciudad de Zamboanga, Tausug language, Tausūg: ''Dāira sin Sambuangan'', fil, Lungsod ng Zamboanga, ceb, Dakbayan sa Zamboanga), is a city in the Zamboanga Peninsula region ...

in the southern region of the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

that is famous for its pink coralline sand. The island, located south of downtown at the Santa Cruz Bank in the

Basilan Basilan, officially the Province of Basilan ( cbk, Provincia de Basilan; yka, Wilayah Basilanin; tsg, Wilaya' sin Basilan; fil, Lalawigan ng Basilan), is an island province of the Philippines located primarily in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Re ...

Strait, boasts one of the pink sand beaches in the Philippines. The color of the sand comes from the pulverized red

organ pipe coral The organ pipe coral (''Tubipora musica'') is an alcyonarian Octocorallia, octocoral native to the waters of the Indian Ocean and the central and western regions of the Pacific Ocean. It is the Monotypic, only known species of the genus ''Tubipor ...

from eons of surf erosion mixed with the white sand."Pink Sand Beach"
Zamboanga.com. Retrieved on 2012-04-12. The island started to become popular since the 1970s and early 1980s when it was frequented by German, Japanese and Italian tourists. Recently, there's an upsurge of tourists that has been recorded due to its rising popularity as one of a handful of Pink Sand Beaches in the World and is the only one in Asia. In 2017, it was recognized by

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

as one of the 21 Best Beaches in the World."21 Best Beaches of the World"
nationalgeographic.com. Retrieved on 2017-01-18. "Zamboanga City: the Great and Little Santa Cruz Islands"
En Route by Ironwolf. Retrieved on 2012-04-12.

Conservation

The Great Santa Cruz Island together with

Little Santa Cruz Island Little Santa Cruz Island is an island situated south of downtown Zamboanga City, on the Basilan Strait. See also * List of islands of the Philippines External links Little Santa Cruz Islandat OpenStreetMap OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a free, o ...

are

protected areas Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

in Region 9 of the Philippines. Jointly called the ''Great and Little Sta. Cruz Islands Protected Landscape & Seascape'', it was declared as such on April 23, 2000 with the signing of ''Proclamation No. 271''. The park has a total area of . Recent illegal

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. Co ...

mining has destroyed most of Great Santa Cruz Island's vast coral reef population leaving the former colorful corals as dead skeletal reefs. The city government of Zamboanga is planning to improve the island for the preservation, protection, conservation and rehabilitation of the island's

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...

. The plan also involves developing the island for

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds ...

. The improvement would include rehabilitating the present structures on the island. New infrastructures that need to be constructed would be low in profile using materials indigenous to the area, in hope of lessening its impact to the environment. The development plan is expected to be completed in 3 to 5 years time.Covarrubias, Sheila
"City envisions Sta. Cruz"les as ‘island-ecosystem’"
Zamboanga, Asia's Latin City. Retrieved on 2012-04-09.

Getting to the island

A trip to the island is booked inside Paseo del Mar.

Gallery

File:Isla Great Santa Cruz33.JPG, Welcome sign File:Isla Great Santa Cruz55.JPG, An organ pipe coral from offshore, the coral that gave the sand its pink color File:Isla Great Santa Cruz53.JPG, Corals File:Isla Great Santa Cruz21.JPG, Zamboanga City proper as seen from the island File:Isla Great Santa Cruz14.JPG, Marine life File:Isla Great Santa Cruz22.JPG, Transportation to the island File:Isla Great Santa Cruz7.JPG, Pink sands of the island File:Isla Great Santa Cruz41.JPG, View of the island File:El_corazón_del_Isla_Sta._Cruz.jpg, The heart-shaped figure near the "Welcome sign"