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Mooring buoys helping protect coral off Palawan Island

May 21, 2014

In May, volunteers in the Philippines began installing mooring buoys in Palawan Island’s Bacuit Bay, launching a new effort to help protect the bay’s rich coral reef ecosystem against the stress of increased tourism. With the buoys in place, boaters will be able to experience the reef without hurting it, eliminating the need to drop anchor onto fragile coral structures.

Funded by Seacology, the project marks a collaboration between local tourism and environmental groups. In his blog, our field rep in the Philippines Ferdinand Marcelo describes the critical role of the community’s involvement:

Local divers, the coast guard, and even some tourists have been helping to screw in place the helix-type anchors for the mooring buoys. The dive shops are filling scuba tanks for free. Other establishments offer food, fuel, and free use of their boats.

Community members who gave their time and resources to the Mooring Buoy Project were awarded certificates of recognition during modest ceremonies at the municipal hall’s covered basketball court last May 10, 2014…. With everyone invested in the project, there are a lot more eyes watching the buoys with a little pride, and hopefully this will allow the buoys to serve their purpose for a long, long time.