Locations

The Netherlands

Wageningen

The South Sea Exclusive Foundation is founded and established in the Netherlands, in the university town of Wageningen, known as the ‘City of Life Sciences’. The founding members and managers of the South Sea Exclusive Foundation all studied at the Wageningen University and Research Centre. We are inspired by their mission "to explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life", and with the South Sea Exclusive Foundation we want to realise that mission.

The Philippines

Map of Palawan indicating the Regional Office and the Project Location

Palawan

The first projects are carried out in the municipality of Puerto Princesa, on the island province of Palawan. The beauty and uniqueness of her nature is what characterizes Palawan, also described as 'the last natural frontier’ of the Philippines. Palawan is considered internationally as a biodiversity hotspot and an important ecological corridor in the Southeast Asian archipelago.

Geography

Palawan is the third largest island in the Philippines. Palawan is a long narrow island, it is approximately 425 km long and up to 40 km wide. It comprises of 1,780 islands and islets. As seen on the map, Palawan is located in the southwest of the Philippines, bordering with Malaysia in the south. It is situated between the South Chinese Sea and the Sulu Sea. A central mountain chain runs from north to south, reaching more than 2,000 m at its highest point. Numerous bays, caves and beaches can be found along the 2,000 km long coast of the island.

Climate

Palawan has a tropical monsoon climate. From March to May the weather is warm and the seas are calm. The coolest months are from December to February, with the northwest monsoon bringing winds. Heavy rainfall is usual in July and August. Typhoons occur only occasionally. The average monthly temperature ranges from 27 to 29 degrees Celsius.

People

Palawan contains 23 municipalities. The capital, and the only city on the island, is Puerto Princesa City. Palawan is home to 892,608 people (as of 2007, Provincial Information Office). People in Palawan are a mix of 87 cultural groups and races. The growing rate of the population is relatively high, due to migrants from other islands of The Philippines. There are 52 dialects of Filipino spoken, the most used dialects are Tagalog, Cuyunon and Palawano. Many people speak English as well.

Nature

Due to a land bridge between Borneo and Palawan during the ice ages, Palawan’s flora and fauna is more similar to Borneo than the rest of The Philippines. Palawan has a high number of endemic species. After isolation from Borneo, many unique animal and plant species evolved in Palawan.

The remaining forest cover in Palawan is high, compared to the rest of the Philippines. Marine and coastal ecosystems, as mangrove forests, coral reefs and sea grass beds are in relatively good shape. However, the natural ecosystems of Palawan are very fragile and the pressure on the natural resources is increasing.

Two National Parks can be found in Palawan; the Tubbataha Reefs National Park and the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park. The latter became the #1 nominee for the next round to become a 'New Wonder of Nature' and both parks are natural UNESCO World Heritage Sites.