The Verde Island Passage

In fact, the coastline of the Philippines is equivalent to the coastline of the entire United States, despite only having around 3% of the total land area. More coastlines equals more marine habitats, increasing the places where diverse forms of life can take hold, leading to the extreme biodiversity of the Philippines.

Geographic Position
The Philippines stretches north to south over a long distance that includes tropical species in the north and sub-tropical species in the south. Latitudinal diversity means more diverse habitats, increasing the number of species found in the area.

Stable Ocean Temperatures​
During the ice ages, sea surface temperatures dropped dramatically, changing species compositions in the higher latitudes. However, in the Philippines these temperatures stayed relatively stable, allowing marine species to not only survive, but thrive during the ice ages.

Ocean Overlap
The Philippines sits at the overlap between two major oceans – the Indian and the Pacific Ocean. Due to this, species from both oceans have settles in the Philippines, increasing marine biodiversity.

Center of Evolution
Scientists believe that the Philippines is a center of evolution due to the process of isolation. There were multiple isolated habitats over millennia because of our strong ocean currents, complicated coastlines, and in the past, a major drop in sea levels which divided our seas.

Isolation aids biodiversity because when major changes in the environment force populations of species to be split-up and isolated, they develop new traits and characteristics to adapt to their new environment. Taken over thousands and thousands of years, this can lead to the evolution of new species.

Strong Ocean Currents
The powerful Northern Equatorial Current carries all kinds of marine species and their larvae across the Pacific Ocean and into the Philippines, where they take shelter in the archipelago. These new species will eventually settle and evolve in ecosystems such as the VIP, making it their new home.

Complex Geological Background
The Philippines has a complicated geological background, having been once divided into three distinct regions scattered across the Pacific Ocean. Over millions of years, these regions came together via plate tectonics, acting as life rafts for all kinds of species. Thus, the oceans of the Philippines are a collection of three different geologic histories.