TUBBATAHA REEFS - Heart of the Philippine Seas [Documentary]

Our journey begins here, in the sea that gives our people life and calls endlessly to our sense of wonder. In few places in the world do the waters team with so many riches, for the over 7,000 islands of the Philippines are spread across the center of the center of the coral triangle, the global epicenter of marine biodiversity. Here, beneath the Sulu Sea, lies the coral heart of the Philippines, the crown jewel of Philippine diving, the Tubbataha Reefs. Spanning over a hundred thousand hectares, this breathtaking expanse of reef flats and walls of coral is one of the most productive coral reefs in the world. While there are bigger reefs elsewhere, few can match the diversity of its marine life. Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park was inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1993 and as an ASEAN Heritage Park in 2015. With its extraordinary biodiversity and its relatively pristine state, its existence is of great importance in the global ecosystem. Around 700 species of fish and 360 coral species, about half of all known species, can be found here. 150 kilometers southwest of Puerto Princesa City in Palawan, accessible only by a 12-hour boat ride, the park consists of two huge atolls, the North and the South, and the smaller Jesse Beasley Reef. It is open to visitors only in the summer between March and June. Those who make this journey will find themselves richly rewarded. Migratory birds swoop overhead as we approach Bird Islet on the North Atoll. Tubbataha is the country's last seabird rookery, home to the largest known population of seabirds in Southeast Asia. As we dive below the surface, the deep blue of the Sulu Sea gives way to a symphony of color and life, as fishes of every shape and size swim amongst spectacular beds of coral and walls that plunge hundreds of feet into the depths. Here in Black Rock, it seems that nature has painted itself with a child's wild sense of color. It's everywhere in this immense place as anthias swarm about the coral in a dance of hues against a canvas of blue. There is always something new to discover here, and the chance for a life-changing, intimate encounter with the most amazing creatures. Two endangered turtle species nest in Tubbataha. Here, a green turtle emerges from under a coral to see who's visiting. Sensing no danger, it returns to the important business of cleaning its shell. A critically endangered hawksbill turtle. It doesn't seem to mind our company, while this one finds a perch to chomp on some coral. Now we're with a massive school of big-eyed trevallies. This marble ray passes by seemingly unimpressed. A school of chevron barracuda. A whale shark, the largest fish in the sea. This adolescent is already some six meters long. A manta ray glides through the clear water. Relaxed and curious, it approaches, gives the camera a little tap with its wing. Sharks. Most of us think of all shark species as fearsome man-eaters. But as we approach these white-tip reef sharks, they seem to want nothing more than to be far away from us. The presence of these apex predators is a crucial indicator of the health of marine ecosystems, but around the world, they are being slaughtered by the millions for their fins. They are probably wise to keep their distance from us. That Tubbataha remains with us today in its current state is no accident. It was once, as most of the coral reefs in the Philippines remain, devastated by human activity. Tubbataha used to be the traditional fishing grounds of people from Cagayan Silio. And at the time, since there was no protection whatsoever afforded to the area, there was a gradual decline of the reefs. So concerned people like the divers, DNR, and some locals from Palawan, they decided to come together and protect the area. To protect Tubbataha is more than saving a world-renowned dive destination. It is to save ourselves. Tubbataha is one of the country's most important food baskets. While fishing is strictly prohibited inside park boundaries, it is the source and sink of fish larvae for the entire Sulu Sea, fish that eventually spread far beyond the park and into the nets of fishermen around the Visayas. This is part of the Jesse Beasley Reef, a coral cay that was the last to be added to the park's boundaries. The difference between this site and the healthy reefs is stark. But signs of hope are sprouting amidst the devastation, and life here has returned in surprising, tenacious ways. And in the preserved part of the reef, there is a breathtaking abundance of life. The constant vigilance of the locals and dive groups and active management of park authorities have dramatically transformed the state of the park over the past few decades. This despite the challenge of securing funds and of patrolling such an enormous area with limited resources. One of the big problems that we encounter really is the sustainability of our operations. Tubbataha being so far away, right in the middle of Sulu Sea, it's going to cost a lot for us to monitor the place and also to conduct conservation work. And then, as with all our seas, there are plastic pollution and climate change to contend with. There will be stronger storms and increases in temperature that will put enormous pressure on the reefs. In the face of all these challenges, how is it possible to protect Tubbataha when, around the world, marine ecosystems are on the verge of collapse from the relentless demands of human activity? The recovery and continued survival of the park depend on us to allow nature to restore itself. An undisturbed reef can recover much more quickly from natural and man-made damage, and every visitor to the park helps to fund the huge task of protecting it. Beyond that, with the increasing awareness of the interconnectedness of all the world's oceans and ecosystems, any contribution to protecting the sea can make a difference, not just for Tubbataha, but all Philippine seas, and ultimately, all of us. The sun sets on the sandbar by the Tubbataha Reef Ranger Station. To see the sand, sea, and sky stretch on here is to realize that this place is a treasure to be protected for generations to come. This is the Tubbataha Reef's natural park, an irreplaceable gift to the world. In the words of Lorenzo Tan, formerly of the World Wildlife Fund, Tubbataha Reef, a source of wonder and font of life. In the remote center of this great sea, it lives on, radiating waves of hope outward, restoring the blue planet on which all life depends. It is past, present, and future. Undoubtedly, world heritage.