Philippines’ Verde Island Passage receives “Hope Spot” designation

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (July 21, 2023) — In a major milestone for marine conservation, the Verde Island Passage (VIP) in the Philippines has been named a Hope Spot by international ocean conservation nonprofit Mission Blue. Located within the most biologically diverse waters on Earth, the VIP is heavily trafficked by commercial vessels and passenger ferries, and sustains several other important activities such as fishing and ecotourism. The new designation acknowledges both the rich biodiversity and the cultural and economic significance of the passage, igniting support to safeguard the region as a marine protected area.

Championed by Academy Senior Curator of Invertebrate Zoology Terrence Gosliner, PhD, and De La Salle University Professor Wilfredo “Al” Licuanan, PhD, the declaration is a critical step in garnering further marine protections for the region and advising where conservation managers and policymakers should focus their efforts. Gosliner, who has conducted marine research in the Philippines for more than 30 years, will continue his work through the Academy’s Hope for Reefs initiative to reverse the rapid decline of coral reefs around the world.

“This Hope Spot designation is a testament to years of collaborative efforts from our Hope for Reefs team and our Filipino colleagues,” Gosliner says. “It also recognizes how special the Verde Island Passage is. Home to more species of marine life than any other part of the oceans, it is truly an extraordinary place that must be preserved for future generations.”

The VIP is a major waterway that separates southern Luzon Island from northern Mindoro Island in the Philippines and connects the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) to the East Philippine Sea, extending from Lubang Island in the west to Tablas Island in the east. Its 1.14 million hectares of coral reef, mangrove, and seagrass habitats possess a remarkable abundance of marine life, provide livelihoods to millions of people through fishing and ecotourism, serve as a major commercial shipping channel, and house significant industrial complexes along part of its shoreline. Gosliner, Licuanan, and their partners are seeking the inclusion of the Verde Island Passage as a National Integrated Protected Area System of the Philippines and declaration as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area of the International Maritime Organization.

Dr. Sylvia Earle, founder of Mission Blue, says, “I want to congratulate Dr. Terrence Gosliner and Dr. Wilfredo Licuanan for doing everything they can with their local communities to protect their blue backyards.” She continues, “Coral reefs are the rainforests of the sea. Let us be inspired by the resilience of these corals and let us be motivated by the urgent need to act.”

Licuanan describes a developing project in the works; a national platform for posting and sharing community-collected monitoring data. He explains, “One of the deliverables for our current United States Agency for International Development (USAID) INSPIRE grant is to create a national clearinghouse for community-collected monitoring data. Data are currently being collected and archived, and once the clearinghouse is established, these data will be migrated to the accessible, open-sourced database.”

The California Academy of Sciences and De La Salle University are conducting primary research on advancing coral rearing and spawning techniques and developing those techniques to be deployed for restoration work in areas that lack natural resilience. They are also collaborating with the ABS-CBN Foundation to train community volunteers to monitor their reefs. BFAR, the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, is interested in the methodology the team is using.

“It’s low-tech but accurate in the data we’re collecting,” explains Gosliner. “If BFAR adopts it, it has the potential to go national. In order for us to achieve our 30x30 goals, resilient reefs need to be identified.” Gosliner and Licuanan are hoping to eventually double the number of communities along the VIP employing monitoring techniques to assess the health of local reefs.

Based on numerous studies, it has been shown that the VIP has vibrant reef fish fauna (Carpenter & Springer, 2005), heterobranch mollusk diversity (Gosliner et al., 2018), ahermatypic (non-reef-building) coral diversity (Cairns, 2007), and echinoid (sea urchins and their relatives) diversity (Mooi, 2014). The passage has been appropriately called the “center of the center'' of marine biodiversity.

Despite conservation efforts and various current protections, the area is facing environmental degradation and threats, including a recent oil spill. The passage represents a major shipping channel in the Philippines and the shoreline of Batangas Bay is populated by numerous industries, including petroleum refineries and chemical plants.

“Working with such dedicated and courageous partners who are deeply committed to both preserving biodiversity and securing the livelihoods of millions of people living in coastal communities has truly been a labor of love,” Gosliner says. “We’re looking forward to continuing our partnership under the new Hope Spot designation.”