Sunset in Rapu Rapu Island.
The Island is the site of Australian firm La Fayette's open pit mining project, which released cyanide into the sea last year, endangering wildlife. Greenpeace volunteers, along with fish experts from Silliman University in the Philippines and the Coastal Conservation and Education Foundation (CCEF), were in Bicol last April to survey the region's rich marine environment known for its mangroves and sea grass beds, The area is home to 5 of the world's 7 known marine turtle species, as well as the iconic whale shark, the largest fish in the sea, acknowledged by experts as a vulnerable species. Aside from the release of tailings into the sea, heavy siltation due to the mine operations is expected to endanger the region's pristine marine ecosystems and rich fishing grounds which is the primary source of livelihood for its coastal communities.