
This one mile-long island in the Philippines is one of the world’s first community-organized marine sanctuaries in the world that sparked the creation of 700+ other marine sanctuaries around the Philippines.
On the edge of fishing crisis due to dynamite and cyanide fishing in the 80’s, the resident fishermen created a no-take sanctuary zone which served as a nursery to stock the surrounding area. The resulting abundance and diversity of marine animals (especially sea turtles) led to increase in tourism, and prompted the Philippine government to create hundreds more sanctuaries.
Dynamite fishing, littering and other environmentally destructive practices are still prevalent in the Philippines today. However, this tiny island is a good example of a successful reversal of that unfortunate trend.