The Philippines’ Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park is featured in the photo exhibition launched by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) titled “Protecting UNESCO’s Marine World Heritage through scientific research” in Paris, France.
According to the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the exhibit was prepared in collaboration with the Monaco Explorations Campaign in a partnership agreement between UNESCO, through its World Heritage Marine Programme, and the Principality of Monaco.
The photo exhibit, which is currently staged in UNESCO Paris headquarters from October 7 to October 30, 2020, features photographs taken by the Monaco Explorations during a scientific exploration in UNESCO World Heritage marine sites, which includes the Philippines’ Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary (Colombia), Rock Islands Southern Lagoon (Palau), and Lagoons of New Caledonia: Reef Diversity and Associated Ecosystems (France).
Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994, is located in the center of the Sulu Sea and includes the Tubbataha and Jessie Beazley Reefs. It was cited by travel site Lonely Planet for its impressive marine biodiversity and named Palawan’s Tubbataha and Cebu’s Moalboal among the recommended “most surprisingly spectacular” dive spots in the world.
Tubbataha is home to over 360 species of coral, almost 700 species of fish, and “no less than 100 species of birds,” according to the Tubbataha Management Office.
The exhibition was “developed in the framework of the forthcoming United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).” The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO aims to catalyze global investments in ocean science to realize its Sustainable Development Goals.
More famous dive spots in the Philippines are reopening to tourists amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The country’s waters were also recently voted Best Diving Area by the Japanese subscribers of top-selling Marine Diving Magazine and nominated for World’s Leading Dive Destination, among others at the 27th World Travel Awards.
SEND CHEERS in the comments below to the team caring for Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park for the showcase at the UNESCO photo exhibit in Paris.
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