Pujada Bay Protected Landscape And Seascape
The bay has been declared a marine protected area known as the Pujada Bay Protected Landscape and Seascape. It covers 21,200 hectares (52,000 acres) protecting the bay and its coastal area including its four islands. It was declared through Proclamation No. 431 on July 31, 1994, by President Fidel Ramos.
Description
Pujada Bay is known for its rich coral reef system and white-sand beaches. It has a small inlet on its northwestern side called Balete Bay. Several rivers and streams flow into the bay, including Catmonan Creek, Dawan Creek, Dilaon Creek, Mati River, Matiao Creek and Guanguan Creek. The landmass bordering the bay to the north and west is characterized as hilly and mountainous, with flat areas in the Guanguan Peninsula becoming rough and mountainous towards its southern tip at Lamigan Point.
Pujada Island near the bay's entrance is covered with bushes and trees and has a small lighthouse located at its southeastern end. Two sandy islets surrounded by drying reefs lie 0.75 miles (1.21 km) and 1 mile (1.6 km) southeast of the island, namely Oak Island and Ivy Island. On the east side of the bay connected to the Guanguan Peninsula by a rocky ledge with depths of 9.2 metres (30 ft) is Uanivan Island.
The bay is home to 25 genera of hard and soft corals, the most abundant of which belong to the genus Montipora, Acropora and Porites. It also contains approximately 850 hectares (2,100 acres) of mangroves of mostly secondary growth and mangrove plantations distributed along its shores. It is also known to harbor nine of the sixteen species of sea grasses found in the Philippines.
References
- ^ "U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. Philippine Islands Sailing Direction, Section 3". Manila Bureau of Printing. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
- ^ "Pujada Bay Protected Seascape". Department of Environment and Natural Resources Biodiversity Management Bureau. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
- ^ "Proclamation No. 431, s. 1994". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
Further reading