Boracay the word for seed. Boracay was originally home to the Ati people. Boracay Island was already an inhabited place before the Spaniards came to the Philippines. It was known to the Iberian conquerors as "Buracay". At the time of contact with the Europeans, "Buracay" had a population of one hundred people, who cultivated rice on the island and augmented their income by raising goats. Boracay is part of Aklan, which became an independent province on April 25, 1956. Boracay was largely an agricultural community like other parts of the country. Around 1900 A.D., Sofía Gonzáles Tirol and her husband Lamberto
Boracay combined with poorly monitored snorkeling activity in coral rich areas. The Boracay Foundation Inc. (BFI) made efforts to remedy the situation by launching a "reefurbishment" program for the corals. In 2017, the BFI claimed the number of corals in Boracay increased from 15 to 20 percent since 2015 due to its project. Boracay has been experiencing an increased coliform bacteria population since the 1990s which contributed to a 60 percent decline in tourist arrivals in 1997. Although a potable water supply system, a solid waste disposal system, as well as a sewage treatment plant which began operation in 2003 were