Tubbataha takes on a twin

THE TWIN ATOLLS that many divers would rate the best sites in the Philippines, the Tubbataha Reefs, have some company. The island cluster of Cagayancillo is almost equally remote – a promising sign for a great dive destination. It’s now a newly declared Marine Protected Area that at 1 million hectares is now the largest in the nation, touching on Tubbataha’s waters. The Philippines has plenty of “MPAS,” as the Marine Protected Areas are known: 1,557 at last count. But only just over 100 have any proper oversight, according to the WWF, plagued by a lack of funding. While declared by the government, MPAS are generally administered by the coastal communities that abut them. But there’s always a conflict between the desire to preserve the environment and the pressing need to fish near their homes. Until now, the focus of creating the zones has been to protect biodiversity rather than replenish fish stocks. It’s hard to buy an abstract idea that more fish will eventually result from marine protection when there’s the need to put food on your plate. But the 7,000 or so people who live in Cagayancillo “clamoured” to have their waters declared an MPA, the WWF says. Why? Locals were already benefiting from the seafood bounty heading their way from the Tubbataha Reefs. Just over half of the MPA is now a coastal-marine area that balances municipal fisheries with ecotourism. The remaining 400,000 or so hectares of open water in the preserve link Cagayancillo with Tubbataha. The fishermen of Cagayancillo have noticed the spillover through increased catch since Tubbataha became a no-take zone in 1988. “For years, we have had an abundant fish supply ,” Cagayancillo-based conservationist Nison Abados says. “I really believe some of them come from Tubbataha, especially the big ones.”