The Verde Island Passage (VIP), known as the “Amazon of the Ocean” for its highest concentration of marine shorefish biodiversity, is now poised to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
“We believe that this status would not just spotlight the VIP… It would also add another layer of protection to secure the VIP’s very important ecosystems,” Martha Vergara, OIC Deputy for oceans and climate at the Center for Energy, and Development (CEED) said during the media conference last Friday.
The VIP is situated in a strait that separates the islands of Luzon and Mindoro, where over 1736 overlapping species coexist in just a 10 sq. km area.
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