Conducted by PIT
, Started on 2019 -
Completed on 2020
Completed
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The coral resources of Camotes Islands Protected Landscape and Seascape showcase biodiverse coral reefs in central Philippines with ecological services and economic importance. This group of islands had been monitored for years, albeit using different survey methodologies, by different institutions. This study adopted the standardized state of the art photo-transect method analyzed with CPCe, the coral reef assessment used for the latest nationwide assessment on Philippine coral reefs. Surveyed stations were in three established Marine Protected Areas (MPA) of San Francisco, Cebu. Transect photographs were processed and analyzed to determine the composition of Taxonomic Agglomeration Units (TAUs) and the corresponding mean percentage cover. The HCC in all stations were in Category D (>22% HCC) with an overall mean cover of 3.71%. Looking at details, the hard coral cover (HCC) inside the MPA of San Isidro and Santiago were higher (significant at α = 0.05) while the coral generic diversity was in category C (17.33 coral TAUs). Six endangered coral species listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature – Red List (IUCN) and Evolutionary Distinct and Globally Endangered List (EDGE) of the Zoological Society of London were recorded in San Francisco, Cebu. These results are another validation that the establishment of marine protected areas is effective biodiversity rehabilitation of habitats. This is a science-based evidence that MPAs of Camotes Islands still support endangered and EDGE coral species and should be put into considerations relative to the ongoing coastal tourism activities and the quest to maximize the utilization of resources. Congruence of the implementation of e-NIPAS and the economic benefits should be balanced to ensure the full adherence of all stakeholders for optimum utilization of resources.