Successful Sanctuary

Although the Philippines has more marine-protected areas than anywhere on earth, most exist only in theory. In Burgos, the MPA works in practice.

- Gregg Yan and Yasmin Arquiza

Off the coast of Burgos, in the province of Surigao del Sur in the Philippines, everyone knows where the protected reef is … because there’s a giant guardhouse sitting on top of it.

The Burgos Birds and Fish Sanctuary was set up in 1998, with funding from the government and other sources. It has survived the deliberate burning down of the guardhouse to win the support of the local community, who have formed their own organisation to serve as marine guards. Key to the whole enterprise is that local fisherfolk have finally come on board, now they are realising higher catch yields.

From the air, Burgos is a patchwork of seagrass, fish corrals and live coral. The reef spans 67 hectares, and is delineated by colourful fluttering flags to let fishers know where the marine protected area (MPA) lies.

It’s a healthy corner of the Coral Triangle. This slice of ocean spans the waters of Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste, the Solomon Islands and the Philippines, with 2,000 species of fish swimming among 600 species of reef-building coral. There are also vast fields of seagrass and seaweed, plus labyrinthine mazes of mangrove roots.

About 120 million people rely on the Coral Triangle for livelihood. But overharvesting, pollution and land-use conversion are hampering the capacity of these natural systems to provide. Faced with mounting challenges, many nations have turned their best seascapes into MPAs, which are also called fish sanctuaries or no-take zones, depending on what visitors can do in them.

The Philippines alone hosts about 10% of the world’s MPAs – there are around 1,000, more than in any other nation in the Coral Triangle. Established by the government and maintained by the blood, sweat and tears of uniformed personnel and volunteers, these undersea enclaves provide safe havens for marine life.