The Philippines has one of the largest areas of coral reefs in the world, about 27,000 square kilometres within a 15- to 30-meter depth. They are habitats for rare species, including some 488 species of corals, 971 species of benthic algae, and 2,000 species of fish.
Figure 1 Coral formation near Monarch Sands
Corals are marine organisms that exist as small colonies of many identical individuals. The group includes the important reef builders that are found in tropical oceans which secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.
A coral "head", commonly perceived to be a single organism, is formed from myriads of individual but genetically identical polyps,, each polyp only a few millimeters in diameter. Over thousands of generations, the polyps lay down a skeleton that is characteristic of their species. An individual head of coral grows by asexual reproduction of the individual polyps. Corals also breed sexually by spawning, with corals of the same species releasing gametes simultaneously over a period of one to several nights around a full moon.
Figure 2 Coral formation near the resort
Although corals can catch small fish and animals such as plankton using stinging cells on their tentacles, these animals obtain most of their nutrients from photosynthetic unicellular algae called zooxanthellae. Consequently, most corals depend on sunlight and grow in clear and shallow water, typically at depths shallower than 60 m (200 ft). These corals can be major contributors to the physical structure of the coral reefs that develop in tropical and subtropical waters, such as the enormous Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Queensland, Australia. Other corals do not have associated algae and can live in much deeper water, with the cold-water genus Lophelia surviving as deep as 3,000 meters/
But coral refs are disappearing alarmingly fast. Among the top ten coral reef hotspots in the world, the Philippines ranks #1. The World Atlas of Coral reefs reported that 97% of reefs in the country are under threat from destructive fishing techniques, including cyanide poisoning, over-fishing, or from deforestation and urbanization that result in harmful sediment spilling into the sea. In 2007, Reef Check-an international organization assessing health of reefs in 82 countries, stated that only 5% of the Philippine’s coral reefs are in excellent condition. Including Apo Island just a short distance from Siaton.
Dr Lee Talbot, former head of Wildlife conservation for Nature and natural Resources is quoted as saying “a few decades ago, the wildlife of the Philippines was notable for it’s abundance; now, it is notable for it’s variety, if the present trend of destruction continues, Philippines wildlife will be noted for it’s absence.”
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