As part of our commitment to use technology to assist us in understanding the environment, one Smart Buoy each will be deployed in Palawan and Mindoro in partnership with the local government and existing NGO in the area. These Smart Buoys will be able to monitor the temperature changes in the coastal waters in the said areas so that the health of existing coral reefs can be assessed accurately. The Smart Buoy can also act as an early warning system for fisherfolk, especially in determining whether or not it is safe for them to venture out to the sea as it has wind and waves data in real time. An earlier

Smart Buoy that has been deployed in early 2021 in Batangas in partnership with the De la Salle University shore center will also continue monitoring the said area. Additional upgrades to the Smart Buoy such as photo transect is also underway to help collect important data about the coral reef health and status.

Temperature results of the Smart Buoy from January 2021 to January 2022 located in Lian, Batangas. Blue line is the temperature 1 meter below the surface, while the orange line is the temperature 10 meters below the surface. The bleaching threshold for corals is recorded at 31 degrees Celsius. During months of May to July, there were numerous reports of coral bleaching events in Calatagan, Batangas last 2021 and can be found in the facebook group Philippine Coral Bleaching Watch. If you would like to contribute in assessing corals in your area, please contact them for more details.