Shark Fin Bay MPA Network

Protecting Rich Biodiversity

Shark Fin Bay in northern Palawan, Philippines, is home to rich tropical coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and mangrove forests. These biodiverse ecosystems provide habitat for threatened species like the humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus), squaretail coralgrouper (Plectropomus areolatus), hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), and green turtle (Chelonia mydas). These ecosystems were degraded in the past by destructive and unsustainable fishing practices. However, the local communities that rely on these ecosystems for their subsistence and livelihoods, have created a network of MPAs to revitalize them.

The Shark Fin Bay MPA Network includes five multi-use MPAs, covering 9 km². Each MPA has a core fully protected zone and surrounding 50 m buffer zone, with an additional 500 m radius zone prohibiting fish traps (baklad) and fish aggregating devices (payao, also known as FADs) ensuring equitable small-scale fishing access to fish spillover from the fully protected zone.

The Creation of an MPA Network

Work to restore Shark Fin Bay’s ecosystems began in 2011 when the Filipino-French NGO Sulubaaï Environmental Foundation purchased Pangatalan Island in Shark Fin Bay with the objective of rehabilitating this heavily exploited site. With the engagement of local governments, Pangatalan Island became the first designated MPA of Shark Fin Bay. Sulubaaï Environmental Foundation continues to manage this site, pioneer innovative coral restoration strategies, and run the Shark Fin Bay Environmental Research Centre to facilitate scientific research related to conservation.

Pangatalan Island MPA soon boasted 39% higher density, 167% higher biomass, and 25% greater size of target fish compared to unprotected control sites. Following this success, nearby communities resolved to create their own MPAs in Shark Fin Bay. Between 2019 and 2021, the coastal towns of Depla, Sandoval, and Silanga initiated community consultations and designated new MPAs. In 2022, Sulubaaï Environmental Foundation, through the Sea Academy Project, supported a collaborative approach to conservation throughout the bay, and the Shark Fin Bay MPA Network was designated by Municipal Ordinance. The MPA Network is continuing to grow. In 2025, the coastal village of Batas designated a fifth MPA nicknamed “Little Tubbataha”, as its known for its exceptional coral reefs.

The Vital Role of the Local Communities

The Shark Fin Bay MPA Network Management Council includes representation from the local community governments, fisherfolk associations, and local schoolteachers. Many of these representatives also participate in the network’s citizen-science monitoring program. Community engagement is central to the network's management. Outreach programs engage local students and teachers, locals are employed as rangers ('Bantay Dagat') and in other operational positions, MPA revenues are shared back to communities, and alternative livelihood and subsistence programs are underway. These initiatives have empowered, and will continue to empower, the communities of Shark Fin Bay to manage the resources to which their lives are so intricately wedded into the future.