The Tañon Strait is the largest marine protected area in the Philippines, home to a diverse array of marine life. Join us on a journey through the Tañon Strait and get to know its inhabitants.
The Tañon Strait
The Tañon Strait is a channel that separates the Philippine islands of Cebu and Negros, stretching over 160 km. Its geographical features and uniqueness make it a crucial hotspot for marine conservation and the preservation of the marine environment in the Philippines. Due to its significant ecological importance and exceptionally rich biodiversity, the Tañon Strait is designated as a marine protected area. It hosts mangrove forests along its coasts, coral reefs, and a variety of marine animals, including whales, dolphins, and sea turtles.
With Pro Ocean, we are actively involved in and around the Tañon Strait to protect these marine creatures and preserve their habitat. Every time our team operates in the vicinity of the Tañon Strait, the experience leaves us breathless, given the stunning marine life and the importance of safeguarding this ecosystem.
Location | Philippines, between Cebu (east) and Negros (west) |
Length | approx. 160 kilometers |
Width | Varies from 5 to 27 kilometers |
Nearest Seas | Visayan Sea (north), Bohol Sea (south) |
Deepwater Ports | Bais (Negros), Toledo (Cebu) |
Ecological Significance | Marine protected area with rich biodiversity |
The animals of the Tañon Strait
Effective Protection:
“With your donation, we can preserve the habitat of the many marine animals in the Tañon Strait, effectively and sustainably protecting them in the long term.”
The Mangroves of the Tañon Strait
Mangroves can be found almost everywhere in the Philippines. They are one of the most crucial ecosystems for adapting to climate change and serve as habitat for local wildlife. That’s why, with Pro Ocean, we specifically operate in mangrove forests, extracting ocean plastic and other debris. By doing so, we preserve this habitat for the countless species that rely on healthy mangroves.
For these reasons, mangroves are crucial to our ecosystem:
- CO2 Storage: 12.3 kg per year per mangrove (equivalent to the emissions of a small car traveling 100 km)
- 80% of the most common fish species grow in mangroves
- Mangroves provide crucial protection against typhoons, which regularly cause significant destruction in the Philippines
Animal partnerships
We do not consider animal partnerships to be effective or meaningful. Marine animals don’t need you as a babysitter via an app or with potentially intrusive GPS trackers on their backs. What they need are healthy habitats free from ocean plastic; the rest, they can handle quite well on their own — even if that might not feel as ‘nice’ to you! The truly important question, however, is: What is this really all about?
The Plastic in the Tañon Strait
LUnfortunately, we are increasingly encountering ocean plastic and other toxic waste in the Tañon Strait. With Pro Ocean, we protect marine animals and their habitats by retrieving ocean plastic. Our team consists primarily of conservationists who take great care to minimize harm during the collection process. Using machinery, boats, or river barriers for plastic retrieval can lead to significant bycatch, such as coconuts or other plant seeds, disrupting their natural spread and depriving animals of food in other areas. Additionally, small organisms like crabs or mussels are often unintentionally collected and killed.
By manually collecting plastic, we not only provide fair employment opportunities for the local population but also handle these ecosystems with great care. While technology is often seen as a solution to our problems, it begins with us. At Pro Ocean, technology is primarily employed in the recycling of ocean plastic, where no animals or other living beings are affected.
“You want to preserve the Tañon Strait and its unique underwater world? Donate now to support the retrieval of ocean plastic and protect the Tañon Strait and its inhabitants.”