We had no idea how reefs function. But at that point we had nothing to lose. In 1986, Apo Islanders voted overwhelmingly to set aside 8 percent of their entire reef as a reserve where no human activity, except scuba diving and snorkeling, would be permitted. Within two years, stocks of edible fish and shellfish had recovered to such an extent that we could catch all the fish we needed around our own island again. Apo's dramatic recovery is the kind that catches the attention of reef experts who have been witnessing a tragic decline in the world's coral resources.
Corals still fringe the islands.
But Apo demonstrates that it is not too late to protect these wonderfully diverse underwater ecosystems and to preserve their productivity for the people who depend upon them. The model that Apo sets offers encouragement to the coral-reef nations that recently launched a new international protection plan, culminating in the designation of 1997 as the International Year of the Reef. Coral reefs are biological wonders, among the largest and oldest living communities of plants and animals on Earth. Most established coral reefs are between 5,000 and 10,000 years old, many of them forming thin veneers over older, much thicker reef structures. The stinging anemone protects the eggs.