Pangatalan Island in Palawan, elected as a sustainable island – The Manila Times

On September 15, the Philippine Embassy in Paris, received Frédéric Tardieu, president of Sulubaaï Environment Foundation (SEF), to sign an agreement between the French Fund for World Conservation and Sulubaai Environment Foundation in the presence of French Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Philippine Ambassador to France, Ma. Theresa Lazaro.

Sulubaaï Environment Foundation is a Philippine-based non-profit organization dedicated to conserve, protect, and restore the natural resources of Palawan through environmentally sustainable practices and active ecosystems restoration. It is a private initiative funded by eco-tourism.

According to Frédéric Tardieu, Sulubaai Environmental Foundation president, “We would simply like to connect to as many people as possible to explain our work on coral restoration, on the marine protected areas creation with the local community and especially on the rebirth of Pangatalan Island which was elected as a sustainable island by Small Island. Organization. Mission blue (US NGO) declared our bay as Hope Spot. Our gratitude to our Sea Academy project.”

In 2012, Sulubaaï Environment Foundation was born out of a common love for the ocean and desire to help the local communities of Palawan. The foundation decided to implement the first project site on Pangatalan Island. At that time, they found the island in various states of damage — trees were cut, mangroves thinned, sand on the main beach was sold, and coral reefs were severely destroyed.

The first task was to prevent further damages : replant thousands of plants and collect seeds around the island for mangrove regrowth.

On March 2016, the group added a new dimension to the project and started to focus the efforts on 45 hectares of Co-Managed Marine Protected Area (MPA) surrounding Pangatalan island. The foundation started protecting, surveying and restoring marine ecosystems.

The projects include: coral reef restoration, mangrove regrowth, re-vegetation, education and eco-tourism. The goal is to develop and implement sustainable ways on and around Pangatalan Island.