Apo Reef is a

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 ...

system in the Philippines situated in the western waters of

Occidental Mindoro Occidental Mindoro ( tl, Kanlurang Mindoro), officially the Province of Occidental Mindoro, is a province in the Philippines located in the Mimaropa region. The province occupies the western half of the island of Mindoro. Its capital is Mambura ...

province in the

Mindoro Strait The Mindoro Strait ( tgl, Kipot ng Mindoro) is one of the straits connecting the South China Sea with the Sulu Sea in the Philippines. It separates Mindoro Island from Busuanga Island (one of the Calamian Islands of Palawan Province). Located ...

. Encompassing , it is considered the world's second-largest contiguous coral reef system, and is the largest in the country. The reef and its surrounding waters 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 ...

administered as the Apo Reef Natural Park (ARNP). It is one of the best known and most popular diving regions in the country, and is in the tentative list for

UNESCO World Heritage Sites A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

.Hutchinson, Gretchen and Ventura, Edgar M. (1987). "Philippine Dive Versions", pg. 74. Philippine Dive Versions, Makati.

Geography

Apo Reef can is about west of the nearest coast of the Philippine island of

Mindoro Mindoro is the seventh largest and eighth-most populous island in the Philippines. With a total land area of 10,571 km2 ( 4,082 sq.mi ) and has a population of 1,408,454 as of 2020 census. It is located off the southwestern coast of Luz ...

. It is separated from main island by the Apo east Pass of the Mindoro Strait. Politically, the reef lies within the jurisdiction of the Province of

Region IV-B Mimaropa (usually capitalized in official government documents), formally known as the Southwestern Tagalog Region, is an administrative region in the Philippines. It was also formerly but still colloquially designated as Region IV-B until 2016 ...

of the Philippines and more specifically of the Municipality of

Sablayan Sablayan (), officially the Municipality of Sablayan ( tgl, Bayan ng Sablayan), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 92,598 people. It has a total l ...

. Tourism activities are administered by the local government of Sablayan and the local office of the

Department of Environment and Natural Resources The Department of Environment and Natural Resources ( fil, Kagawaran ng Kapaligiran at Likas na Yaman, DENR or KKLY) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for governing and supervising the exploration, developmen ...

(DENR).(2014-03-19)
"How To Get There"
. Apo Reef Natural Park Official Website. Retrieved on 2014-09-25.

Reef system

Apo Reef is a roughly triangular coral atoll formation approximately from the north to the south tip, and from east to west. It is separated by two lagoon systems, the north and south lagoons which are bounded by narrow reef platforms. It is of almost triangular northern and southern atoll-like reefs separated by a deep channel that is open to the west. The channel runs east to west from deep with a fine white sand bottom, numerous mounds and patches of branching corals under the deep blue water. The north lagoon is an enclosed triangular coral reef platform partly exposed during low tide. It is relatively shallow with depths of about . While the south lagoon is an inverted triangular coral platform enclosed on two sides and is about in depth. Likewise, reef limestone and coralline sand on the east and southeastern sides dominantly underlie the area.

Islands

The main geographical feature of Apo Reef is submerged, but three islands mark it on the surface: the Apo Island, Apo Menor (locally known as ''Binangaan'') and Cayos del Bajo ("Keys of the bank", locally known as ''Tinangkapan'').(2014-02-14)
"Topography and Soil"
. Apo Reef Natural Park Official Website. Retrieved on 2014-09-25. The islands are uninhabited. Since the declaration of "no-take-zone" policy at Apo Reef Natural Park in 2007, only protected area personnel and members of the Task Force MARLEN (Marine and Apo Reef Law Enforcement for Nature), who are tasked to implement protection and conservation work at the park, stay in the protected area on weekly shifts.

Apo Island

The largest is Apo Island at with

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evoluti ...

s and beach vegetation. The reef surrounding the island extends to in places. Outside the lagoonal mangroves in the eastern and southern sides of Apo Island, the soil is sandy-to-sandy loam that has less silt and clay particles, while the lagoonal mangroves have a sandy loam to clay loam soil, underlain by decomposed plant residues or coarse materials. Apo Island is separated from Apo Reef by a narrow, deep channel. The island is about from Mindoro and about from Nanga and Tara Islands, the nearest of the islands off

Busuanga Island Busuanga, is the largest island in the Calamian Group of islands in the province of Palawan in the Philippines. Busuanga Island is the second largest island in the province after Palawan island itself. The island is located halfway between the i ...

on the western side of the Mindoro Strait. The Apo Reef Light, situated on the northeast part of the island, warns ship about the location of this navigational hazard."United States Coast Pilot Philippine Islands"
The island is situated at a two and a half hour navigation 240° from Sablayan by pump boat (banka). The island houses a permanent ranger base which monitors the national park. An administrative desk collects the environmental fees. It is possible to stay overnight in tents subject to certain conditions. Very limited facilities are available onshore to protect the island's fragile ecosystem.

Apo Menor Islet

Apo Menor is located near the western end of Apo Reef, about east of Apo Island. It is a rocky limestone island with relatively little vegetation.

Cayos del Bajo

Cayos del Bajo are flat coralline rock formations with no vegetation on the northern lagoon near the eastern edge of the reef. At low tide, many small rocks are dry on the reef, particularly along its north side.

Scuba diving

The main activity of the reef relates to its underwater quality. Scuba diving and snorkeling in Apo Reef area are exceptional due to the quality of the flora, the fauna and the clarity of the water and white sand. Many species can be observed in deep or shallow waters in particular, sharks, giant napoleons, and manta rays.

Conservation history

The Apo Reef is a protected area of the Philippines classified as a Natural park encompassing . Of the total area, comprises the Apo Reef Natural Park while the remaining constitute a

buffer zone A buffer zone is a neutral zonal area that lies between two or more bodies of land, usually pertaining to countries. Depending on the type of buffer zone, it may serve to separate regions or conjoin them. Common types of buffer zones are demil ...

surrounding the protected area."Protected Areas in Region 4B – Mimaropa"
. Biodiversity Management Bureau. Retrieved on 2014-09-25. Prior to its declaration as a protected area, Apo Reef was first officially declared a "Marine Park" by then Philippine president

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...

in 1980. This was followed with the local government of Sablayan declaring the reef a special "Tourism Zone and Marine Reserve" three years later. In 1996, the entire reef was declared a protected natural park by then-president

Fidel Ramos Fidel Valdez Ramos (, ; March 18, 1928 – July 31, 2022), popularly known as FVR and Eddie Ramos, was a Filipino general and politician who served as the 12th president of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. He was the only career military ...

. In 2006, the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau of the Philippine

submitted the reef to the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Centre for consideration as a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

. Following a survey by the local chapter of the

World Wide Fund for Nature The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wor ...

, fishing within the reef was banned by the Philippine government in September 2007. The marine park opened for tourists to help generate funds for its protection as well as provide an alternative livelihood for hundreds of fishermen in the area. All people accessing Apo Reef need to pay an environmental fee.

Marine biodiversity

File:Giant Napoleon Wrasse in Shark Point Dive Site, Apo Reef, Philippines.jpg, Giant Napoleon

Wrasse The wrasses are a family, Labridae, of marine fish, many of which are brightly colored. The family is large and diverse, with over 600 species in 81 genera, which are divided into 9 subgroups or tribes. They are typically small, most of them le ...

at Apo Reef File:Reef4262 - Flickr - NOAA Photo Library.jpg,

Yellowmargin triggerfish The yellowmargin triggerfish, pineapple trigger, yellowface triggerfish or yellow-face triggerfish (''Pseudobalistes flavimarginatus'') is a marine fish in the family Balistidae. It is found in coastal tropical waters and reefs of the Indo-Pa ...

at Apo Reef File:Reef4292 - Flickr - NOAA Photo Library.jpg, A

cushion star ''Culcita novaeguineae'' (common name, cushion star) is a species of starfish. It has short arms and an inflated appearance and resembles a pentagonal pincushion. It is variable in colour and can be found in tropical warm waters in the Indo-P ...

at Apo Reef File:Reef4313 - Flickr - NOAA Photo Library.jpg, Yellowish white

soft coral Alcyonacea, or soft corals, are an order of corals. In addition to the fleshy soft corals, the order Alcyonacea now contains all species previously known as "gorgonian corals", that produce a more or less hard skeleton, though quite different f ...

at Apo Reef File:Reef4318 - Flickr - NOAA Photo Library.jpg, A yellow

crinoid Crinoids are marine animals that make up the class Crinoidea. Crinoids that are attached to the sea bottom by a stalk in their adult form are commonly called sea lilies, while the unstalked forms are called feather stars or comatulids, which are ...

at Apo Reef File:Reef4315 - Flickr - NOAA Photo Library.jpg, A

sea cucumber Sea cucumbers are echinoderms from the class Holothuroidea (). They are marine animals with a leathery skin and an elongated body containing a single, branched gonad. Sea cucumbers are found on the sea floor worldwide. The number of holothuria ...

at Apo Reef

References

Bibliography

* Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Conservation of Priority Protected Areas Project, Apo Reef Natural Park Brochure. Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro; List of Proclaimed Marine Protected Areas; Protected Areas And Wildlife Bureau, 2004. *

External links

Apo Reef Natural Park Official Website (DENR)

Travel Guide: Sablayan (Apo Reef/Pandan Island)
{{Recreational dive sites, reereg Coral reefs Underwater diving sites in the Philippines Reefs of the Philippines Natural parks of the Philippines Landforms of Occidental Mindoro Islands of Occidental Mindoro Tourist attractions in Occidental Mindoro World Heritage Tentative List for the Philippines