And she is very optimistic.

She says closely monitoring the reefs is one way of combating the effects of climate

change. They do their best to ensure the integrity of the Tubbataha Reefs.

It's a 10,000-hectare reef.

Tubbataha Reef is part of the coral triangle which is not only important in the Philippines but to other coastal communities in Asia and the consumer population around the world.

"The Tubbataha Reef is a major source of fish and coral larvae in the Sulu Sea. It seeds most of the reefs, a lot of reefs around the Sulu Sea. These larvae are brought by ocean currents and by winds and all that. To lose a major nursery will be a loss to a lot of fishing coastal communities. Without the seeds that come from the park I don't think that a lot of our nearshore fisheries will be viable in the next few years, especially in the light of the loss of coral reefs around islands like ours."

And the fight against climate change should be at the local and global levels.

Community efforts like maintaining the integrity of coral reefs through watersheds and marine sanctuaries are important.

That's exactly what Angelique and the staff at the Tubbataha Management Office are doing—preserving the coral reefs to sustain the livelihood of coastal communities and the food security of the future generation.

It serves to enrich nearshore fisheries, thereby contributing to the livelihoods of coastal communities for the next generations to come.