From Talikud Island (one of the two main islands of the municipality) tourists can scuba dive in the 370-acre Coral Garden and Marine Reservation Park. There you can swim among and view 53 of 73 known genera of corals found in the Philippines. These include at least 34 hard corals and 3 soft corals. The corals in this park are considered to be in very good condition.
IGaCoS's Mangrovetum is an area set aside for the intensive scientific study of the mangrove ecosystem. Like coral reefs, mangrove forests are found in tropical areas around the globe, including southern Florida. Occupying the zone where fresh water and saltwater meet, mangrove forests are vital as protective spawning grounds and nurseries for thousands of species of fish, shellfish and other animals, including the endangered marine mammals known as manatees, dugongs and sea cows.
Major threats to IGaCoS's coral gardens include destructive fishing methods, such as sending divers down to bang on -- and incidentally break chunks off of -- the reefs to scare hiding fish out into nets. Other threats include fishing with explosives, as well as sediment-filled runoff from deforested land areas that muddies the water, silts up the bottom and otherwise distresses and damages the delicate corals.
On June 15, 2011, the European Union made a grant to the World Wildlife Fund of 2.5 million euros for a 4-year program called "Implementing Climate Adaptation Strategies in the World's Most Outstanding Natural Places." The Philippines is one of three countries involved in this program, and IGaCoS will benefit from the funding to study ways to preserve and improve its famous, but threatened, coral reefs.
