Reef Tribe

Status

In planning. Not operating. No permits held. No partners, sites, staff or opening dates announced. No results of its own are reported.

Approach

Protect first, then restore: (1) preserve living reef; (2) clean the water and watershed; (3) restore populations through gardening, microfragmentation and larval reseeding; (4) regenerate resilience only inside a clear ethics and permit frame; (5) create new structure only where the substrate is gone. Global reviews find most restoration projects small (median about 100 m²) and short-term (Boström-Einarsson et al. 2020).

Regulatory frame (to be confirmed with counsel and agencies)

Coral collection is generally prohibited except for scientific or research purposes under special permit, and in-water coral work would be led by Filipino scientific and community partners. Agencies: BFAR, DENR (BMB, PAMB), DENR-EMB, LGUs and, in Palawan, PCSD.

• 1987 Constitution, Art. XII, Sec. 2
• Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, Sec. 91 (RA 8550)
• BFAR FAO 202, s. 2000, Ban on Coral Exploitation and Exportation
• FAO 233 (2010), Aquatic Wildlife Conservation
• Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act (RA 9147)
• Expanded NIPAS Act of 2018 (RA 11038)
• PD 1586 / Philippine EIS System (DENR-EMB ECC/CNC)
• Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 (RA 9275)
• RA 8970, prohibition on hard surfactants in laundry and industrial detergents
• Strategic Environmental Plan for Palawan Act (RA 7611)
• Presidential Proclamation No. 32, s. 1998 (ENTMRPA)
• 13th Regular Foreign Investment Negative List (EO 113, s. 2026)
• MARINA Circular SR-2020-02, sewage treatment plants on PH-registered ships

Key references

1. Boström-Einarsson L, et al. (2020). Coral restoration – A systematic review of current methods, successes, failures and future directions. PLOS ONE. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0226631
2. dela Cruz DW, Harrison PL (2017). Enhanced larval supply and recruitment can replenish reef corals on degraded reefs. Scientific Reports. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-14546-y
3. dela Cruz DW, Harrison PL (2020). Enhancing coral recruitment through assisted mass settlement of cultured coral larvae. PLOS ONE. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0242847
4. Hughes TP, et al. (2018). Spatial and temporal patterns of mass bleaching of corals in the Anthropocene. Science. doi:10.1126/science.aan8048
5. Souter D, Planes S, et al. (eds.) (2021). Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2020. Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network / International Coral Reef Initiative. doi:10.59387/WOTJ9184
6. González-Rivero M, Dallison T, et al. (eds.) (2026). Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2025. Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network / International Coral Reef Initiative. doi:10.59387/LFPR6347
7. Goergen EA, et al. (2020). Coral reef restoration monitoring guide: Methods to evaluate restoration success from local to ecosystem scales. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 279. doi:10.25923/xndz-h538
8. Shaver EC, et al. (2020). A Manager's Guide to Coral Reef Restoration Planning and Design. NOAA Technical Memorandum CRCP 36. doi:10.25923/vht9-tv39
9. Hein MY, et al. (2017). The need for broader ecological and socioeconomic tools to evaluate the effectiveness of coral restoration programs. Restoration Ecology. doi:10.1111/rec.12580
10. Fabricius KE (2005). Effects of terrestrial runoff on the ecology of corals and coral reefs: review and synthesis. Marine Pollution Bulletin. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2004.11.028
11. Cabaitan PC, Yap HT, Gomez ED (2015). Performance of single versus mixed coral species for transplantation to restore degraded reefs. Restoration Ecology. doi:10.1111/rec.12205
12. Gill DA, et al. (2017). Capacity shortfalls hinder the performance of marine protected areas globally. Nature. doi:10.1038/nature21708

Full source list with DOIs: reeftribe.org/researchers#sources. This summary is not legal advice.