Most of the 95 reef stations surveyed in Taytay remain dominated by live corals, while juvenile colonies found at several sites indicate that natural recovery is underway despite damage from storms and typhoons.
The Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) Staff said preliminary findings from a ReefScan Survey conducted in Shark Fin Bay and the Outer Bay of Taytay presented a “mixed picture” of the condition of the area’s coral habitats.
“While some reef areas remain healthy with intact coral structures, others, particularly in Shark Fin Bay, bear the visible impacts of storms and typhoons,” PCSDS said Thursday.
The damage documented in Shark Fin Bay included heavy algal cover, reduced live coral cover, and severely disturbed reef habitats.
However, PCSD Staff said most of the monitoring stations were still dominated by live massive and sub-massive corals, which are generally more resistant to strong waves and other physical disturbances.
“The presence of juvenile coral colonies at several sites is a promising sign that natural recovery is already underway,” the agency said.
The results suggest that Taytay’s coral reefs retain the capacity to recover, although damaged areas will need continued protection from fishing and other human pressures.
PCSDS said the findings demonstrate that coral reefs are “both fragile and resilient,” stressing the role of the Environmentally Critical Areas Network zoning system and the no-take provisions under the Taytay Municipal Fisheries Ordinance.
The agency said these measures give damaged reefs an opportunity to regenerate while allowing them to continue supporting marine biodiversity, fisheries, and coastal communities.
The ReefScan Survey was carried out under the PCSDS SCANCoast Project in partnership with the Enhancing Marine Governance in Indonesia and the Philippines, or EMERGE, Project led by the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute.
The assessment involved the UP Marine Environment and Resources Foundation Inc., World Wide Fund for Nature, Sulubaaï Environmental Foundation, Western Philippines University, and the Taytay Municipal Agriculture Office.
The EMERGE Project is funded by the Australian government through its Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research.
