“Mangroves are amazing ecosystems. They provide habitats for countless species of animals and plants, protect shorelines from erosion and storms, and filter pollutants from the water. These ‘forests of the sea’ are truly a vital part of our planet’s natural systems.” – Sylvia Earle
***
“Having literally immersed myself in wetlands exposed me to the beauty and value of our mangrove ecosystems,” said Dr. Jerome L. Montemayor, the executive director of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), in a statement.
As the world celebrates the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystems on July 26, he urges members of the ACB “to shift our focus to these valuable natural resources and extraordinary models of resilience.”
Quoting recent estimates from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), he said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has the largest extent of mangroves globally as it is home to around 40% of the world’s mangrove forests, where at least 47 of the 70 known mangrove species globally can be found in an estimated total area of 4.5 million hectares.
“This is both an asset and a responsibility for us in the ASEAN region,” Dr. Montemayor pointed out. He described mangrove ecosystems as “rainforests of the sea,” because they “deliver invaluable services from which we benefit.”
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) describes mangrove forests as “unique ecosystems” in the sense that they thrive in the interface between land and sea.
“Specially adapted to living in salt and brackish water, mangrove trees are found along coasts and estuaries throughout 123 countries in the tropics and subtropics,” UNEP states.
The Philippines, for instance, has around 47 “true mangroves” and associated species belonging to 26 families. Most of the remaining mangroves can be found in Mindanao (29% of the total) and the remaining can be found in Luzon and Mindoro. Old-growth mangrove forests are mainly located in Mindanao and Palawan.
According to Dr. Montemayor, mangroves serve as breeding and feeding grounds for local terrestrial and aquatic species.
“Mangroves are like the kindergarten, seagrasses are the secondary schools, and coral reefs are the high schools and colleges for fishes! And, once (the fishes) graduate from university, they return to kindergarten to spawn,” said Khun Psit, co-founder of Thailand’s Yad Fon mangrove preservation project.
Mangroves are very important to marine life, says Dr. Rafael Guerrero III, a fishery expert who once headed the Philippine Council for Marine and Aquatic Resources Research and Development. They serve as sanctuaries and feeding grounds for fish that nibble on detritus (fallen and decaying leaves) trapped in the vegetation, and on the bark and leaves of living trees.
“(Mangroves) are important feeding sites for many commercially important fish species (mullet, tilapia, eel, and especially milkfish), shrimps, prawns, mollusks, crabs, and sea cucumbers,” World Bank added. “Fry that gather in mangrove areas are very important for aquaculture.”
In Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur, the local government is developing the Tagabuli Bay Mariculture Park as a benchmark for other coastal municipalities that have converted their mangrove regions into ponds for the farming of fish and diverse aquatic resources.
Given the abundance of mangroves in the vicinity, the municipal authorities have advised fish farmers to refrain from disrupting the mangrove ecosystem. At present, merely 6.62 hectares of the 80 hectares designated in Tagabuli Bay are reserved for bangus production.
According to Dr. Montemayor, mangroves serve as “stopover sites” for migratory bird species. Moreover, they play a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance by stabilizing and minimizing sedimentation and siltation in coral reefs, while facilitating land expansion through the accumulation of soil and debris.
Additionally, particularly in light of the ongoing climate crisis and the extreme weather events we are currently facing, mangroves function as frontline protectors, safeguarding communities from storm surges, high waves, storms, and tsunamis.
Meanwhile, almost half of the country’s remaining mangroves were lost over the past years: from 500,000 in 1918 to 240,824 in 2010, according to Dr. Severino Salmo III, an associate professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman Institute of Biology.
This is bad news for fishers and those living near the coastal areas. The Philippines is among the most vulnerable countries in the world to flood damage from typhoons and extreme events. It must be recalled that when Typhoon Yolanda hit the Philippines in 2013, more than 6,000 people died and over $2 billion in damages were reported.
“We need to complement conservation, limit the mangrove losses that are on the conservation side,” Dr. Salmo said. “But it is no longer enough to provide protection against typhoons. We really need to come up with a strategic restoration program.”
German national Ulrich Kronberg, the founder of Davao-based Mama Earth Foundation agrees. “Coastal ecosystems like mangroves and coral reefs play key roles for our climate and the environment,” he explained.
“Mangroves are champions at capturing carbon dioxide and form a buffer against coastal erosion and storm damage, whilst healthy coral reefs can absorb wave energy and are home to nearly a quarter of the oceans’ biodiversity,” he pointed out. “The regeneration of both ecosystems helps them to better withstand and recover from storms and the effects of climate change.”
Unfortunately, our mangroves are on the brink of annihilation. “Large mangrove areas have declined due to human activities and natural climate change-related events,” Dr. Montemayor said.
“In addition to their exposure to frequent and extreme weather events, studies also show that rising sea levels have become a primary threat to mangrove ecosystems. Without any action, one-fourth of the world’s mangrove area is expected to be submerged in the next 50 years.”
