Apo Reef in 1980. This was followed with the local government of Sablayan declaring the reef a special "Tourism Zone and Marine Reserve" three years later. In 1996, the entire reef was declared a protected natural park by then-president Fidel Ramos. In 2006, the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau of the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources submitted the reef to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre for consideration as a World Heritage Site. Following a survey by the local chapter of the World Wide Fund for Nature, fishing within the reef was banned by the Philippine government in September 2007. The
Off Armageddon Reef at number 33. It was listed by Booklist as one of the top ten SF audiobooks of 2008 and was nominated in 2009 for the Arthur C. Clarke Award for best science fiction novel published in the United Kingdom. "The Guardian" found "Off Armageddon Reef" to have a predictable ending and called the character development "perfunctory", but applauded Weber's pacing and vision. Unlike the following four books, the title of "Off Armageddon Reef" does not come from a hymn. Instead, the title refers to one of the battles in the book, as well as a location that is central to