Verde Island Passage

Marine Repository Hub The VIP CORALS Marine Repository Hub houses marine specimens collected from the highly diverse region, the Verde Island Passage (VIP). These collections are important in research, providing permanent records of the different species. Research involving these collections will help promote biodiversity, conservation, and management of the marine resources in the VIP. We are in the process of conducting surveys and collecting specimens, as well as constructing an electronic catalogue containing images and collection information of these specimens. One of our major projects the “Marine Biodiversity Assessment in selected areas along the Verde Island Passage (MBioAssess-VIP),” which is funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and monitored by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD), is currently supporting the repository. Collections from this ongoing project are currently being processed for inclusion in the database.