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
Apo Reef and is about in depth. Likewise, reef limestone and coralline sand on the east and southeastern sides dominantly underlie the area. The main geographical feature of Apo Reef is submerged, but three islands mark it on the surface: the Apo Island, Apo Menor (locally known as "Binangaan") and Cayos del Bajo ("Keys of the bank", locally known as "Tinangkapan"). The islands are uninhabited. Since the declaration of “no-take-zone” policy at Apo Reef Natural Park in 2007, only protected area personnel and members of the Task Force MARLEN (Marine and Apo Reef Law Enforcement for Nature), who are task to implement