Mangrove forests, just like their counterparts in the uplands, are a vital resource. Yet, like the upland trees, they are cut wantonly and now they are on the verge of extinction if they are not properly protected and conserved.

 “In the Philippines and around the world, mangroves forests are under threat from both human and natural forces,” said a policy brief produced by the Washington, D.C.-based Population Reference Bureau (PRB) under the Research Technical Assistance Center.

Causes

All over the country, mangroves are cut wantonly for various reasons. “Mangrove forest cover in the Philippines has declined substantially during this century,” wrote Alan T. White and Roy Olsen D. de Leon, who once worked with the Coastal Resource Management Project and Silliman University Marine Laboratory, respectively.

“Construction projects and industrial uses such as airports, tourism, aquaculture, and housing have destroyed massive areas of mangrove forests,” the policy brief stated. “Sea level rise and severe typhoons can damage and destroy the mangrove areas that stand today.”

Remaining mangroves

A global Landsat imaging done from 1990 to 2010 showed the estimated total area of mangrove coverage at 256,185 hectares in 2000. The result of the study, published in Journal of Coastal Research, found 66 out of 82 provinces have substantial mangroves.

Palawan, the country’s last frontier, topped the provinces with the most mangrove areas as a percentage of total national area with 22.2%. Most in the top list were from Mindanao: Sulu (8%), Zamboanga del Norte and del Sur (9.8%), Surigao del Norte and del Sur (6.8%), Tawi-Tawi (4.4%), and Basilan (2.97%).

Also in the top lists were Eastern and Western Samar (6.1%), Quezon (5.5%), and Bohol (3.69%). About 49,000 hectares, or 19% of the total national area, is under protection of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature for “long-term conservation purposes.” The protected mangroves are located in Palawan, Siargao, Malampaya Sound, Biri Larosa, El Nido, Tanon Strait, Northern Sierra Madre, Dumanquilas Bay, Sibuyan Islands, and Calauit Island.

Consequences

“The loss of mangroves will have devastating economic and environmental consequences,” says Greg Stone, Senior Vice President of Marine Programs at Conservation International, another environmental group based in Washington, D.C. “These ecosystems are not only a vital component in efforts to fight climate change, but they also protect some of the world’s most vulnerable people from extreme weather and provide them with a source of food and income.”

The mangroves are the forests that grow in the salty and brackish waters of the country’s coastline. “Filipino communities have long lived harmoniously with mangrove forests, which have become intertwined with coastal cultural identities,” the briefer said.

Benefits

Unknowingly, mangroves protect local communities during typhoons. This is very important as the country is hit by an average of 20 typhoons per year. “Mangrove roots, trunks, and branches create a break that reduces the speed and force of the winds and waves that pass through them,” the briefer explained. “This break limits how far inland floods and strong winds can penetrate, reducing the damage they can cause.”

In addition, their root systems trap sediment and protect against shoreline erosion from wave action, helping to stabilize elevation as sea levels rise. More importantly, mangroves can reduce the impacts of damage caused by flooding.

The briefer said about 600,000 Filipinos are protected from flooding by mangroves each year. “Many of these people live in poverty,” it said.

Mangroves also offer services beyond coastal communities. They can sequester the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by storing the greenhouse gas in their roots, trunks and leaves. “Mangroves can store four to five times as much carbon as upland forests,” the briefer said.

Fish production

Mangroves are very vital to marine life, says Dr. Rafael D. Guerrero III, an academician with the National Academy of Science and Technology. He considers mangroves as “fish factories.” More than 3,000 fish species are found in mangrove ecosystems.

“They serve as nursery grounds for fishes by providing their fry with food such as zooplankton,” Dr. Guerrero says. “They also serve as breeding or spawning grounds for fishes, shrimps, and mollusks.”

The muddy waters around mangroves are rich in nutrients from decaying leaves and organic matter produced by the mangroves themselves and also from the sediment that is trapped around the roots.

Fish, like rice, is the staple food of Filipinos. That’s why we need to protect our mangrove forests at all cost. “Local leaders must act to preserve mangrove forests and the ecosystem services that benefit all Filipinos,” the briefer urged.

Restoration

Around the world, there are 54 species of true mangroves (34 major and 20 minor) and 60 mangrove associates. In the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), around 47 “true mangroves” and associated species belonging to 26 families can be found, according to the database of the ASEAN Clearing House Mechanism. The Philippines is home to about 40 to 43 species.

The benefits provided by mangrove forests are most effective when they are widespread and healthy. In its website, the Global Mangrove Alliance, another conservation group, estimates that 660,000 hectares of Philippine mangroves need to be restored to healthy forests.

“Although the Philippines has invested in planting mangrove forests in recent decades, many of these efforts have failed,” said the PRB briefer, which was published with fundings from the United States Agency for International Development.

“Projects have focused on planting fast-growing, single species, without considering the specific local conditions or the monitoring and follow-up needed to help new plantings thrive,” the briefer pointed out.

The briefer noted nearly two-thirds of all mangroves in the country were located outside of currently designated protected areas. “If these mangroves are destroyed for infrastructure or construction projects, flooding and damage to people, property and infrastructure will increase annually by approximately 25%,” the briefer noted.

Recommendations

The briefer highlighted four doable recommendations that should be accomplished by local officials whose areas are located in coastlines. These are:

* Commit to preserving mangroves by including preservation in policy statements and by designating additional protected mangroves areas;

* Allocate local funding for evidence-based restoration and monitoring of damaged or destroyed mangrove forests;

* Ensure new construction and infrastructure in coastal areas do not encroach upon or damage mangroves; and

* Advocate to provincial and national decision-makers for nationwide, coordinated, and evidence-based strategies to preserve and restore mangroves.

“Actions taken today to preserve and restore Philippine mangroves are investments that benefit all Filipinos in adapting to a changing climate and strengthening the country for challenges that lie ahead.”

The information used for the policy brief was derived from Dr. Severino Salmo III’s research projects funded by the US’ National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and USAID through the Partnerships for the Enhancement of Engagement in Research (PEER) program.

“The policy brief is intended to translate technical/scientific outputs into a medium/platform that can be easily understood by policy-makers,” said Dr. Salmo, an associate professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman Institute of Biology. “It is specifically designed for policy-makers, and for the public in general.”