The Philippines is located at the apex of the Coral Triangle and is acknowledged as the world’s center of marine biodiversity (Carpenter and Springer, 2005). It’s colorful reefs are home to thousands of marine species which provide food and alternative livelihood through eco-tourism businesses in coastal areas. Sadly, the degradation of coastal ecosystems are highly evident as revealed by high levels of threats (overfishing, destructive fishing practices, unsustainable coastal development, sedimentation and pollution) on coral reefs (Burke et al., 2002, 2011).
