Apo Reef: Mindoro’s crown jewel

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

(Published in the Business Mirror, February 9, 2016)

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/apo-reef-mindoros-crown-jewel/

IT is one of Mindoro’s finest places. It is a crown jewel,” said Vicente Tuddao Jr., assistant regional director for Technical Services of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-Mimaropa.

Tuddao was referring to the Apo Reef Natural Park (ARNP), a key biodiversity area (KBA) in the town of Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro province. “The island’s mangrove forest, the coral reef, they are in good health, in excellent condition. The park is definitely Mindoro’s precious jewel,” Tuddao told the BusinessMirror in a phone interview on Wednesday.

 Two hours away by motorized banca from the coastal barangays of the town of Sablayan, the ARNP is acclaimed to have one of the best diving spots in the world.

Mindoro is known as home to a number of endemic species, such as the Philippine crocodile and the Philippine tamaraw. The Philippine tamaraw, a critically endangered species, can be found at the Mount Iglit-Baco National Park, another KBA in Mindoro.

Aerial shot of Apo Reef Natural Park //.DENR-Mimaropa

 

Perfect for scuba diving

THE Apo reef is the largest coral atoll-like reef in the Philippines and the second-largest contiguous coral reef in the world.

The ARNP is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Luzon. It is sought after by scuba divers because of its excellent underwater landscapes, which are covered with a wide variety of colorful coral species, seagrass and algae vegetation, which serve as home, feeding and playground to unique and rare ornamental fishes and other marine life.

 Declared as protected area (PA) on September 6, 1996, under the National Integrated Protected Areas System Act by virtue of Presidential Proclamation 868, the ARNP is a 15,792-hectare marine park which reflects Mindoro’s richness in terms of biological diversity.

Habitat within a habitat

IT is unique, because within the park lies three small islands surrounded by a carpet of corals. The Apo Island, the largest of the three islands within the park, is itself a KBA and home to a good number of floral and faunal species.  

Within the island is a small lagoon, with brackish water, semi-fresh and semisalt, which provides a life-support system on the island.

“The lagoon itself is a habitat of a significant number of fishes, reptiles, amphibians and other wildlife,” Director Theresa Mundita Lim of the DENR’s Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) told the BusinessMirror on Tuesday.

 Officials at the DENR are batting for the ARNP’s inclusion on the prestigious list of Asean Heritage Parks (AHPs). The country currently has eight protected areas on the list of AHPs, and the Apo Reef, according to Tuddao, is a strong candidate.

 “We are pushing for its declaration as an Asean Heritage Park. It truly represents what AHPs are all about. A heritage which we can truly be proud of,” Tuddao said.

The country’s protected areas declared as AHPs are theMount Apo Natural Park, Mount Kitanglad Range Natural Park, Mount Malindang Range Natural Park, Mount Hamiguitan Wildlife Sanctuary; and the Mount Timpoong-Hibok-Hibok Natural Monument all in Mindanao. Mounts Iglit-Baco National Park in Occidental Mindoro; Mount Makiling Forest Reserve in Laguna; and Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in Palawan.

It was learned that as early as 2006, the DENR has nominated the ARNP to be included in the prestigious United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) World Heritage Site. It is still on the tentative list of Unesco World Heritage Site.

Three major habitats

BASED on the latest biological profile of the ARNF prepared and kept by the DENR-BMB, three types of habitats are classified within its conservation area. The Apo Reef, the main feature of the ARNP, showcases 190 species of schleractinians, or hard corals, belonging to 38 genera. It represents the 38 percent of the 500 species of hard corals that can be found in the Philippines. There are also seven species of nonschleractinians, or soft corals, within the ARNP.

Besides its vast coral reef, the ARNP also boasts of a mangrove habitat, which surrounds the small lagoon on the Apo Island. It harbors about 10 hectares of undisturbed mangrove stand. 

The mangroves serve as a virtual nursery area for juvenile fishes and nutrient production that contributes to the aquatic food chain.

The mangroves and the lagoon are homes to several fish species, stingrays, jellyfishes, marine plants and other marine life.  Several species of shorebirds are also known to inhabit the mangrove forest.

On the other hand, the ARNP’s white-sand beaches are also occupied by beach forest, which includes trees, shrubs and other vegetation.

The beaches around the ARNP are dependent on the healthy reef for a continued sand supply, which serves as nesting areas for endangered marine turtles, including the Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). Several species of migratory birds visit the ARNP and seek refuge at the beach forest, where they nest along with other native birds. According to the DENR-BMB, several migratory birds have become resident-migrants, and now live among the native birds on Apo Island.

Rich wildlife

LATEST study shows there are 46 species of flora, including iron wood, and seven species of seagrasses at the ARNP. It has also 26 algae species. There are a total of 47 species of birds identified within the ARNP, 17 of which are migratory. The ARNP is also home to the Nicobar Pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica), which is categorized under the Threatened Conservation Status based on International Union for

Conservation of Nature Category.

There are six species of reptiles that can be found within the ARNP, including the Green Turtle and Hawksbille Turtle. It is also home to the endangered Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), Spinner Dolphins (Stenella longirostris) and the Risso’s Dolphin (Grampus griseus). Short-Finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) and whale sharks(Rhincodon typus) were rarely observed along the deep channel between the Apo Island and the Binangaan Island. According to the DENR-BMB, about 385 species of fishes in 85 families were identified in the area. This represents only a portion of the total reef fish community.

Among the fishes found are the damsel, wrasses, butterfly, groupers, gobies, angel, blennies, parrot, cardinal, snappers and spine checks, trigger, fusiliers, siganids, squirrel, jacks and trevallies. Stingrays and mantas, giant bump-head parrot fishes and wrasses are found in the midwaters over the reef crest and dropoff areas. Fishermen from the reef have also caught big barracudas and blue marlins. Reef sharks can also be seen in the deep waters, including the white tip, black tip, hammerhead and gray reef.

Nature’s mystery and wonder

ACCORDING to Tuddao, how the ARNP came to be is nature’s mystery and wonder. “Millions of years ago, volcanic eruption and sea-level rise led to the geographical formation in the area that led to the development of the islands,” he said partly in Filipino. “Within Apo Island, a lagoon was formed, which was brackish, which means fresh- and saltwater were mixed.”

Life started to flourish not only in the marine area surrounding the Apo Island but on the island itself, Tuddao said.  He said it is truly nature’s wonder that the beauty of Apo Reef came to be.

 He said the ARNP’s waters, including the inland lagoon, are pristine. The quality of the corals is excellent, and the fishes that thrive are enormous.  “The biodiversity in the ARNP is rich because of the corals. The corals are intact. The island is surrounded with white beaches and thick mangrove forests. The ARNP became a spawning area for fishes. There is plenty of different ornamental fish. It is definitely the jewel of Mindoro,” he said.

  

Threats and conservation program

LIKE other PAs, the ARNP is vulnerable to a number of threats. Poaching by organized groups equipped with highly sophisticated equipment is one of the more serious threats. “We have intensified law-enforcement campaign. We conduct regular patrols to apprehend violators,” Tuddao said.  He said the DENR taps the community in Sablayan to help protect the ARNP.   “This is to make sure that the ARNP is protected against those who continue to harvest wildlife resources in the park,” Tuddao said. “We continue to conduct information, education and communication campaign in the surrounding communities to heighten the awareness of the people about the importance of the ARNP,” he said.He added that several fishermen continue to encroach and enter the “No-take Zone” within the ARNP to catch fish. But this, he said, is now very seldom, as the DENR and  with various stakeholders, active supporters of the Apo Reef Conservation and Protection Program. Even visitors, he said, are educated about Mindoro’s precious jewel.

 He said the DENR ensures that visitors are aware of the environmental laws, the ARNP being a protected area.  “Our protection and conservation program continues,” he said.

  

Still unexplored

ACCORDING to Lim, little is known about the many secrets the ARNP hold. “What we know about it represents only a fraction of things to learn about the ARNP.  The lagoon holds many secrets waiting to be explored,” Lim said.  She said experts suspect that the inland lagoon has an underground passage leading out of the island, explaining why the water in the lagoon is brackish. 

Lim said there is still much to learn about the ARNP, including the wildlife that thrives around and within the Apo Island itself. She said more scientific research will reveal as to why and how wildlife continues to thrive within the ARNP. “They say the ARNP is a melting pot of a diverse species of marine wildlife. For now, what we know is that it is very rich in biodiversity and must be protected and conserved,” she said.