The Wonders of Danjugan

Danjugan Island offers an untouched beauty of nature

Text By Teodoro Y. Montelibano
Photos by Gerry Ledesma and Chiqui Lizada

I have long heard about the wonders of Danjugan Island, this uninhabited marine and wildlife sanctuary in the Sulu Sea, three kilometers west of Negros Occidental. Thus, when an invitation to visit the place came my way recently, I accepted right away. My visit to this pristine island makes me marvel about this part of the country. How could I have been so oblivious about such wondrous natural beauty while growing up in this Western Visayas province, the place of my birth, about an hour’s flight from Manila?
Gerry Ledesma, the man largely responsible for transforming Danjugan into a protected sanctuary, picked me up when my plane landed in Bacolod, capital city of Negros Occidental. We lost no time in heading for Bulata, the coastal barangay in Cauayan town, some 152 kilometers south of Bacolod – the take-off point across to Danjugan.

The drive to Bulata took two-and-a-half hours over good roads. Once in Bulata, we boarded a motorized dinghy for the 20-minute cruise to Danjugan, specifically towards a coral ruble and white sand beach clearing on the western side of the island dubbed Typhoon Beach. This was to be our base for the next two days.

A Warm Welcome

My first sight of Danjugan, set against a steely silver afternoon sky tinged by soft hues of red and gold reflected in the clear, clean seawaters surrounding the island, took my breath away.

This is sheer magic, I thought, while I stood barefoot on the beach, sand cool to my feet, as I took in a sweeping view of the island. It was enveloped in stillness; and then suddenly, a trill, followed by the sound of wings flapping.

Ledesma, standing a short distance away from me pointed at the avian acrobat gliding gracefully through space up in the sky and said, “You bring good vibes to the island.” The white-breasted sea eagle stretched its wings to an arch as it flew from its aerie atop a tall tree behind Typhoon Beach. Beaming, my host said, “Look, it came out to greet you.” At that precise moment, I just felt so right and so at home being there on the island.

About 1.5 kilometers long and half a kilometer wide, Danjugan is comprised of lush tropical forest cover, five lagoons, beach and mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and coral reefs. Altogether, these ecosystems host a plethora of living organisms which include the aforementioned endangered white-breasted sea eagle, one of a pair that had been breeding on the island since the mid-1980s; at least 70 other bird species including the tabon scrub fowl; nine fruit and insect-eating bat species; and over 20 butterfly species.

Wealth of Life

Close to 600 fish species belonging to 139 genera, including snapper, grouper, and emperor, as well as the endangered and threatened giant manta ray, napoleon wrasse, and whale sharks can be found in its waters and surrounding reefs. A dugong had been spotted, whale sharks a couple of times, while dolphins are periodically sighted in nearby Cauayan waters.

Of at least 244 sclerectinians (hard corals) found in its coral reefs, 20 species are considered rare. In these reefs have been observed such commercially important marine invertebrates as spiny lobster and giant clams of which an endangered specie – Tridacna gigas – is the subject of a re-stocking program in collaboration with the University of the Philippines’ Marine Science Institute.

At least 17 mangrove species can be found in Danjugan’s coastal and mangrove forests where endangered coconut crabs have also been sighted. Likewise, the beach on the island’s western side is known as nesting sites for hawksbill and green Chelonia mydas turtles.

Extensive survey of coral reefs around Danjugan by United Kingdom (UK)-based Coral Cay Conservation (CCC) volunteers have found these to be as diverse as Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. CCC is a non-profit organization that trains and sends out expedition of volunteers to survey the most endangered coral reefs and tropical reefs around the world. Studies done by CCC volunteers in only two kilometers of coral reef in waters around Danjugan have yielded 190 species and 73 genera of corals. Contrast that with 80 genera of corals found in the Great Barrier Reef’s 1,600 kilometers and that gives you an idea of how truly amazing Danjugan is, particularly since there is belief among marine conservationist experts that many more species of coral have yet to be identified in this sanctuary.

Since the early 1990s, Danjugan’s treasures have been introduced in a Youth Marine and Wildlife Camp organized for young people living in nearby coastal communities. During summers, youths from mostly urban areas in other parts of the country come to Danjugan to join their local counterparts in the Camp. Also, through lectures and interactive exercises, Camp participants are taught marine and wildlife conservation. A version of these learning sessions has been developed for adults from local government units (LGUs).

Ledesma, whose own passion for the sea and its bounties have been nurtured over long years of scuba diving, first explored the waters around Danjugan in the mid-1970s. “I’ve been diving since 1974,” he related, “and this was where we had our open-water training.”

Clear-blue seawater and a diversity of aquatic life including long stretches of beautiful coral caused Ledesma and his dive buddies to become regulars in Danjugan waters. They leased from its original owners a tiny portion of the 43-hectare island - what is now known as Typhoon Beach - where they could rest in-between dives.

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