On the 7th of January, Coral Cay Conservation was contacted to help set up marker buoys at the Tabugon Marine Protected Area (MPA) and Sanctuary in the Philippines. This was a great way to start the year and our Project Scientist Marie Seraphim, and Research scientist Joshua Milne were excited to join the Municipal Agricultural Office of Liloan staff. Armed with a GPS, they jumped on the boat and found the boundaries of the MPA. In 2014 Liloan expressed the need for surveys of the Tabugon MPA and volunteers from Coral Cay Conservation undertook a one month monitoring of the area. As a result of this hard work and robust research, it was decided to alter the boundaries of the MPA to better protect marine life in the region. With the new marker buoys fisherfolk can easily distinguish the boundaries of the new Sanctuary. This will not only protect the reefs within but also the pristine mangrove ecosystems still present in the area. Mangrove forests are vital as they create perfect habitats for a variety of juvenile marine species and so are intrinsically linked to the reefs.
Coral Cay would like to thank everyone involved for letting us participate all the way through this exciting project. Our staff left the site with a huge sense of accomplishment.
To find out more about all of our projects, the ways you can get involved and the work we are doing please visit our website
You could volunteer with Coral Cay Conservation; find out more about their Marine Research Expeditions
Mangroves, Tabugon, Philippines
