ILOILO – A formerly abandoned fishpond in the town of Leganes is now teeming with the greens of mangrove trees barely a year after the area was planted with Miyapi (A. rumphiana).
The mangrove patch, which now spans 7.5 hectares in Sitio Panus-on, Barangay Nabitasan, Leganes, was planted with 15,000 trees of mangrove species locally called Miyapi in November 2017 under the enhanced National Greening Program (eNGP) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Region 6.
The project was contracted out by the DENR to the local government unit of the municipality.
Mangrove forests are extremely productive ecosystems that provide numerous goods and services both to the marine environment and people.
They are home to a large variety of fish, crab, shrimp, and mollusk species. These fisheries form an essential source of food for coastal communities.
The dense root systems of mangrove forests trap sediments flowing down rivers and off the land. This helps stabilizes the coastline and prevents erosion from waves and storms. In areas where mangroves have been cleared, coastal damage from typhoons is much more severe.
As per site monitoring conducted by the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) of Guimbal in September, the mangrove plantation in Leganes already reached an average height of 2.5 feet with 92 percent survival rate.
The high survival rate is proof of the good maintenance done by the local government unit.
The municipality is also keen in enforcing environmental laws and stops illegal activities in accordance with Municipal Ordinance No. 2011-227 or the “Mangrove Protected Ordinance.”
Interestingly, the Miyapi mangrove species is listed as “vulnerable” in the Red List of Threatened Species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
It is found in Natuna Island, the Halmahera Islands and Irian Jaya, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Papua New Guinea.
One of its major threats is the continued destruction of mangrove habitat for human settlements.
“In planting the Miyapi species of mangrove to a once abandoned fishpond, the local government unit of Leganes is like hitting three birds with one stone. It promotes the survival of an endangered species while rehabilitating the coastal areas of the town,” said Jim Sampulna, regional executive director of DENR.
When it matures to its full height, these Miyapi trees will serve as vanguards of the coastal areas thus protecting lives and properties of Leganesnons from possible storm surges, he added. (DENR/PN)
