The Philippines was identified as the region with
the highest threat level to coral reefs of any other
center of marine endemism (Roberts et al. 2002).
Exploitation related species richness loss in the VR,
purported as the historical epicenter of marine
biodiversity, indicates an urgent need for increased
and effective conservation and fisheries management
in this region. The earliest establishment of Marine
Protected Areas (MPAs) in the 1970s in the Philippines
was in the VR