Press Release: Landmark Coron Resolution Anchors Regional Ecotourism Model to Protect $24.7B Blue Economy
Strategic Action Programme Culminates with Model Local Policy Mainstreaming Responsible Marine Tourism and Transboundary Collaboration Across Southeast Asia
Coron, Palawan, Philippines, September 7th, 2026 - Marking the culmination of The Reef-World Foundation’s project in partnership with the GEF South China Sea Strategic Action Programme (SCS-SAP), marine conservation leaders have achieved a policy milestone for responsible marine tourism in Southeast Asia. The Municipality of Coron, Palawan, has officially passed a landmark municipal resolution adopting Environmentally-Friendly Diving and Snorkeling (EDS) practices for marine tourism operators. This action directly aligns municipal reef protection with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) national framework and recognised international standards of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Green Fins initiative.
This policy milestone anchored the project's final phase, which culminated in the regional "Connected by Currents" webinar. Moderated by The Reef-World Foundation, the session brought together 176 change leaders across the global Green Fins network to celebrate project milestones, advance transboundary collaboration, and operationalise sustainable marine tourism guidelines across the region.
Scuba diver on a coral reef in the Philippines
A Local Policy Model with Regional Reach
The newly approved Coron resolution embeds UNEP Green Fins guidelines into local coastal resource management via the DENR’s Coastal and Marine Ecosystems Management Program (CMEMP). Highlighted during the webinar by Coron municipal councilor Hon. Michael Sadhwani and the Community Environment and Natural Resources Officer (CENRO) Clarissa Pador, the resolution provides a scalable policy blueprint for coastal municipalities balancing economic development with ecosystem health.
Demonstrating the role of the private sector in enforcing this vision, Dr. Michael Joshua Wong, the Head of Environment, Health, Wellness, and Sustainability at Discovery Coron, presented practical models showing how dive operators can actively partner with local government authorities to advance regional marine protection. Discovery Coron’s Club Paradise is a Green Fins Certified Gold Member.
Transboundary Collaboration and Citizen Science
Building on momentum from earlier regional workshops and webinars, the project's final phase showcased progress toward a Green Fins "Partner Sites" agreement between Coron, Philippines, and Bali, Indonesia. The initiative serves as a pilot model for cross-border knowledge sharing, collaborative data collection, and joint threat management across shared marine biodiversity corridors.
February 2026 | Project Workshop in Bali, Indonesia
Drawing from key outputs - including a joint policy brief, technical briefs, and a regional citizen science strategy - the project equips dive tourism managers and operators to leverage citizen-led monitoring and safeguard the Coral Triangle’s US$ 24.7 billion blue economy.
Proving the Impact
Data presented throughout the SCS-SAP project confirmed that Green Fins certified operators in Coron have achieved an average 47% reduction in environmental threat scores on local reefs, supported by strong operator retention rates within the Green Fins programme of 77–83%.
“We have proven that when you give data-driven tools to the industry, the threats to our reefs drop by nearly half," said Dev Albao, Programmes Manager of The Reef-World Foundation. "Embedding Green Fins directly into local policy, the Municipality of Coron has shown how to turn those tools into lasting protection. Mobilising the operators of diving and snorkelling tours is building the real infrastructure of Coron’s sustainable Blue Economy."
Moving forward, local stakeholders are poised for wider policy work towards the broader coastal resource management ordinance that will secure the gains of the Coron resolution. And on the horizon is further collaboration with Bali as the first Green Fins Partner Sites.
“The fact that Indonesia and the Philippines are already progressing well with Green Fins means that we can start here, and then expand to other countries within the Coral Triangle Region,” said Anders Poulsen, Senior Project Manager of the SCS-SAP Project. “Given the rapid development of tourism in the region there is an urgent need to ensure that this sector develops sustainably.”
This work was funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) South China Seas Strategic Action Programme (SCS-SAP) Project with support from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).