South China Sea Project Document for the Philippines Bolinao Seagrass Habitat Demonstration Site

Cape Bolinao (see the map in Appendix 1) is found on the northwestern tip of Pangasinan and is surrounded by the most extensive coral reef in the Lingayen Gulf (Mc Manus et al., 1992). It is on the western edge of Lingayen Gulf facing the South China Sea on the north and west and the Caquiputan Strait on the east. Cape Bolinao has one major island, Santiago Island and several small islands and atolls. Within the coral reef, the seagrass beds are patchy with an approximate area of 25km2 (Fortes, 1995). The geology of the mainland part of Bolinao is basically limestone with its topsoil producing only limited crops, thus agriculture provides only a limited contribution to the town’s economy. Most of its livelihood has been heavily dependent on the harvest from the marine environment (McManus et al. 1992). Bolinao has a distinct dry and wet season. The rainy period starts about early May and ends in mid-October (Rollon 1998).

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