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Tubbataha
Reef
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Location:
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08°44'-08°57'N, 119°48'-l20°03'E; in the Sulu Sea, 160 km southeast of Palawan and 265 km WNW of the Zamboanga Peninsula, Mindanao. |
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Area:
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Northern reef 7,400 ha, North Islet 2 ha; southern reef 2,400 ha, South Islet 1.5 ha. |
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Altitude:
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Sea level. |
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Biogeographical
Province:
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4.26.12. |
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Wetland
type:
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03. |
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Description
of site:
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Two coral atolls four nautical miles apart, comprising the Tubbataha Reef. The northern atoll is a ringed, stocking-shaped reef with a large, deep lagoon. The most prominent feature of the reef is North Islet, a two hectare coralline sand cay. The southern atoll is a ringed, triangular-shaped reef, with a wide, shallow lagoon and a 1.5 hectare coralline sand cay, South Islet. A concrete lighthouse has recently been erected on this islet. There is a third and much smaller cay, Jessie Beazley Islet, about two nautical miles northwest of the northern atoll. This sandy, peanut-shaped cay is devoid of vegetation; it is approximately 100 square metres in area and is fringed by an extensive reef. |
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Climatic
conditions:
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Tubbataha Reef is open to both the southwest and northeast monsoons and is greatly affected by cyclonic disturbances. The rainy season occurs during the southwest monsoon (from June to September), when a combination of strong winds, heavy rains and high seas produces the worst conditions of the year. The northerly winds generally set in during October and continue until April. The calmest time of year is from the middle of March to late May. Temperatures are uniformly high throughout the year, and the difference between the mean temperatures of the hottest month (May) and the coolest (January) is only 1.9°C. The relative humidity exceeds 70% for the greater part of the year. |
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Principal
vegetation:
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There are extensive beds of eelgrass, mainly Thalassia sp and Enhalus sp, in the lagoons and particularly around South Islet; the dominant algae are species of Caulerpa and Halimeda. |
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Land
tenure:
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No information. |
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Conservation
measures taken:
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None. |
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Conservation
measures proposed:
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Tubbataha Reef is being considered for the establishment of a marine park. |
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Land
use:
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Fishing. There is a lighthouse on South Islet. |
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Possible
changes in land use:
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| Disturbances and threats: | Collection of birds' eggs and killing of sea turtles for human comsumption, and in recent years, illegal dynamite fishing around the reefs. |
| Economic and social values: | No information. |
| Fauna: | North and South Islets support large breeding colonies of sea-birds, South Islet is occasionally used by nesting Green Sea Turtles Chelonia mydas, and Jessie Beazley Islet is often used as a roosting area by sea-birds. The breeding sea-birds are Sula dactylatra, S. sula, S. leucogasler, Sterna fuscata, S. bergii, Anous slolidus and A. tenuirostris. |
| Special floral values: | No information. |
| Research and facilities: | Surveys have been carried by the Natural Resources Management Center in its Marine Parks and Reserves Development Program. |
| References: | Kennedy (1982); Natural Resources Management Center (1981). |
| Criteria for inclusion: | 1b, 2c. |
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Source:
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Haribon Foundation. |