Tubbataha Reefs Marine Natural Park

The United Nations Science, Education and Cultural Organization has recognized Tubbataha Reefs Marine Natural Park of the Philippines as a World Natural Heritage in 1993.

Located on the Philippine Sea of ​​Sulu , Palawan, the famous Tubbataha Reef Marine Park is known for its diversity of marine species. Coral reefs are located on the extinct volcanoes with a 100m-long pristine coral, upright like a fragile wall.

Tubbataha Park is also famous as one of the most beautiful diving sites in the world. Every time you dive, this is a time when visitors enjoy exploring the habitat of many glamorous, charming fishes or watching rare sea turtles gently swim in the water tank.Tubbataha Reef is not only a habitat for rich marine ecosystems but also a haven for tens of thousands of migratory birds each year.

The total area of ​​Tubbataha Reef Marine Natural Park is 130,028 ha including coral reefs and islands around the park. Through many studies and surveys, scientists have revealed that the coral reef ecosystem at Tubbataha Reef Marine Park has more than 350 species of corals. It is home to more than 600 thousand species of fish and sea creatures, including many endangered species such as sea turtles, sharks, dolphins . Especially, this area also produces many food and areas. Reproduction of many seabirds.

The coral reefs at Tubbataha Reef Marine have an average depth of 750m, because of their diversity and the area to be protected, this area is very restrictive of human activities or activities that may affect to the general landscape and environment.

Tubbataha Reefs Marine Natural Park is strictly protected by the Philippine Government, a series of environmental policies are accompanied by a number of regulations designed to establish the natural environmental protection belt of parks and pavements. shout this. The Philippine tourism industry also offers a lot of strict regulations to travel companies if they want to bring visitors here. Therefore, although the amount of tourists coming here is very large, the natural environment is still preserved completely.

Not only that, the Philippine government also identified a belt around the Tubbataha Reefs Marine natural park area and banned fishing and fishing in this perimeter. Transport ships as well as military vessels must also absolutely avoid parks and buffer belts protecting the park.

According to the 1980 actual survey, at Tubbataha Reefs Marine Park, there are more than 600 species of fish, 360 species of coral (accounting for more than a quarter of the world's coral species), 11 shark species, 13 Dolphins and whales, 100 species of birds, extremely rare green sea turtles are also found living in this area.

In 2012, in a survey and research of volunteers under the leadership of Doctor of Marine Environmental Studies - Terry Aquiro, scientists discovered a species of fish called Manta Alfredi science. This is a species that only lives in the Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean. Manta Alfredi is a vulnerable species and is a species in the IUCN Red list of protected species. This fish has a trait that each female only gives birth once in about 3 years, so the growth of this fish is extremely low, besides that Manta Alfredi is very picky about the environment. and not all seas can exist.

Tubbataha Reefs Marine Natural Park is recognized by Unesco as a World Natural Heritage site for outstanding values ​​of natural habitat, biodiversity and an area with beautiful natural landscapes. In 1999, Tubbataha Reefs Marine Natural Park was also included in the list of important saltwater areas in the world .