San Salvador Island

Philippines , Philippines

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San Salvador Island is a small island located in the South China Sea off the west coast of Luzon in the Philippines, under the jurisdiction of Masinloc in the province of Zambales.

The island covers approximately 3.80 to 4.62 square kilometers with a coastline of about 9.99 kilometers and has a flat to hilly topography that is 30% covered with secondary forest, 60% used for rice farming, and 10% dedicated to mango plantations. It is situated about 2.5 kilometers from Masinloc harbor and can be reached by boat in 20 to 30 minutes. 

The island is surrounded by coral reefs, seagrass beds, and Sargassum seaweed forests in the north, and in 1989 the local authorities established the 1.27-square-kilometer San Salvador Fish Sanctuary to protect these marine resources. The island's residents founded the Samahang Pangkaunlaran ng San Salvador development organization and the Bantay Dagat (Sea Guardians) to manage the marine protected area.

Effective coastal management was developed from 2004 to 2006 in collaboration with the HARIBON Foundation to also protect the extensive mangrove forests. These conservation efforts have helped the coral reefs and fish populations recover.