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MANILA,
Oct. 5 (PNA) -- "I haven't seen anything like it in the world," said
James Adair, on the wealth of marine life that includes tiny seahorses,
trigger fish, pipefish, frogfish, napoleon wrasse, gigantic whale
sharks, barracudas, carpet sharks, and white tips, and astonishing
coral formations of Sogod Bay in Leyte.
Adair,
Expedition leader of Coral Cay Conservation (CCC), brought 20 scholars
with him to survey Sogod Bay's marine species and immaculate corals for
conservation.
CCC is UK's award-winning non-government group of specialists working for coral reef and tropical forest conservation.
The
British explorers raved about the exceptional dive spot and discussed
their preservation efforts during a farewell get-together hosted by
British Ambassador and Mrs. Peter Beckingham at their residence.
The
Department of Tourism (DOT) together with the British Embassy, the
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and the local government of Leyte,
hosted Coral Cay's expedition for this year.
"We
fully support efforts of groups like Coral Cay in Leyte which is
gradually being discovered as the world's latest hub of marine
biodiversity," said Joseph "Ace" Durano, Secretary of DOT.
On
the other hand, Undersecretary for Planning and Promotions, Eduardo
Jarque Jr. said, "We wish Sogod Bay the same success as CCC had in
Danjugan Island in Negros which was awarded National Best Managed
Reef."
CCC and its partners in ecotourism were able to save Danjugan Island which was affected heavily by coral bleaching in 2001.
Jarque
further lauded the commitment of the group to the community, "We also
commend the group for educating the community on the importance of
preserving resources for livelihood."
Sogod Bay was also featured in a recent issue of UK's leading dive magazine, DIVER.
Marine
biologist Matt Doggett who spent six months in the area wrote about the
"awe-inspiring and mind-boggling" underwater wonderland of Sogod Bay.
Dogget
gushed about the drift dive in Baluarte where he saw different kinds of
sponges that are home to the hawkfish and featherstars.
He
further marveled about the other Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) where he
found teeming aquatic life, from the 12-meter long whale sharks to the
tiny nudibranches.
Jaudelle
Gold, one of the CCC scholars, said, "The best part of the Philippines
is the people. When we painted the schools in the community, we were
touched by the warmth of the school children."
Coral
Cay also works with Year-Out Group, the biggest British group that
sends more than 200,000 secondary students from the UK to various parts
of the globe. This number is a potential tourism market sector for the
Philippines. (PNA)
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