Apo Reef is a coral reef system located in the Philippines, in the western part of Occidental Mindoro province within the Mindoro Strait. It covers an area of 34 kilometers (13 square miles) and is recognized as the world's second-largest connected coral reef system, as well as the largest in the Philippines. The reef and its surrounding waters are protected and managed as the Apo Reef Natural Park. It is one of the most famous and widely visited diving areas in the country and is included on the tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Geography and environment
Apo Reef is located about 28 kilometers (17 miles) west of the coast of Mindoro. It is separated from the main island by the Apo East Pass of the Mindoro Strait. Politically, the reef is within the province of Occidental Mindoro in Region IV-B of the Philippines and is part of the Municipality of Sablayan.
The park has been named an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it is home to many seabirds, with at least 10,000 breeding pairs recorded.
Apo Reef is a roughly triangular coral reef shaped like a triangle, stretching about 26 kilometers (16 miles) from north to south and 20 kilometers (12 miles) from east to west. It is divided by two lagoon systems, the north and south lagoons, which are surrounded by narrow reef platforms. The reef covers an area of about 34 square kilometers (13 square miles) and is divided by a deep channel that opens to the west. This channel runs east to west and is 1.8 to 30 meters (6 to 98 feet) deep, with a fine white sand bottom, mounds, and patches of branching corals under the deep blue water.
The north lagoon is an enclosed triangular coral reef platform that is partly exposed during low tide. It is shallow, with depths of about 2 to 10 meters (7 to 33 feet). The south lagoon is an inverted triangular coral platform enclosed on two sides and is about 30 meters (98 feet) deep. Reef limestone and coralline sand on the eastern and southeastern sides form the base of the area.
Studies show that the modern reef formed over an older reef during the last glacial cycle, about 19,000 years ago. The shape of the modern reef is influenced by changes in sea levels as the land under Apo Reef sinks toward the Manila Trench.
The main feature of Apo Reef is underwater, but three islands mark its surface: Apo Island, Apo Menor (locally called Binangaan), and Cayos del Bajo ("Keys of the bank," locally called Tinangkapan). These islands are not inhabited. Since the "no-take-zone" rule was established in 2007, only protected area staff and members of Task Force MARLEN, who work to protect the park, stay in the area on weekly shifts.
Apo Island is the largest, covering 22 hectares (54 acres), with mangroves and beach vegetation. The reef around the island extends up to 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) in some places. Outside the lagoon’s mangroves on the eastern and southern sides of Apo Island, the soil is sandy-to-sandy loam with less silt and clay. Inside the lagoon, the soil is sandy loam to clay loam, with decomposed plant materials or coarse materials beneath.
Apo Island is separated from Apo Reef by a narrow, deep channel. The island is about 43 kilometers (27 miles) from Mindoro and 37 kilometers (23 miles) from Nanga and Tara Islands, which are near Busuanga Island on the western side of the Mindoro Strait. A lighthouse on the northeast part of Apo Island warns ships about the reef’s location. The island is about a two-and-a-half-hour boat ride from Sablayan, heading 240° by pump boat (banka).
The island has a permanent ranger base that monitors the national park. An office collects environmental fees. Overnight stays in tents are allowed under certain conditions, but very few facilities are available to protect the island’s delicate ecosystem.
Apo Menor is near the western end of Apo Reef, about 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) east of Apo Island. It is a rocky limestone island with little vegetation.
Cayos del Bajo are flat coral rock formations with no vegetation in the northern lagoon near the reef’s eastern edge. At low tide, many small rocks on the reef become dry, especially along the northern side.
Apo Reef is a protected area in the Philippines classified as a Natural Park, covering 274.69 square kilometers (106 square miles). Of this, 157.92 square kilometers (61 square miles) are part of the Apo Reef Natural Park, while the remaining 116.77 square kilometers (45 square miles) form a buffer zone around the protected area.
Before becoming a protected area, Apo Reef was first declared a "Marine Park" by then-President Ferdinand Marcos in 1980. Three years later, the local government of Sablayan declared it a special "Tourism Zone and Marine Reserve." In 1996, the entire reef was declared a protected natural park by then-President Fidel Ramos.
In 2006, the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau of the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources submitted the reef to UNESCO for consideration as a World Heritage Site.
After a survey by the local chapter of the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Philippine government banned fishing in the reef in September 2007. The marine park opened to tourists to raise funds for its protection and provide alternative livelihoods for local fishermen.
Apo Reef was declared a national park under Republic Act No. 11038 (Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 2018), signed by President Rodrigo Duterte in July 2018.
Tourism
Everyone who visits Apo Reef must pay an environmental fee. Tourist activities are managed by the local government of Sablayan and the local office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
The main feature of the reef is its underwater quality. Scuba diving and snorkeling in the Apo Reef area are excellent because of the quality of the plants, animals, and the clear water with white sand. Many species, such as sharks, giant napoleons, and manta rays, can be seen in both deep and shallow waters.
- Giant Napoleon Wrasse found at Apo Reef
- Yellowmargin triggerfish found at Apo Reef
- A cushion star found at Apo Reef
- Yellowish white soft coral found at Apo Reef
- A yellow crinoid found at Apo Reef
- A sea cucumber found at Apo Reef