The province of Bohol, in the Philippines, is blessed with mangroves. Bohol have mangrove forests around its river systems, waterways and islands. Bohol has one of the highest biologically diverse mangrove ecosystems with 26 mangrove species found on its shores.
As a country, the Philippines has 47 species out of the 54 species of true mangroves.
Mangroves are salt-tolerant trees that vary in size. Mangroves have adapted to living in salt and brackish water conditions. They require slow currents and fine sediment in which to set their roots.
Did you know that mangroves store more carbon than terrestrial forests?
They have the capacity to take far more carbon out of the atmosphere than terrestrial forests; a patch of mangroves could absorb 10 times the carbon of a similarly sized patch of terrestrial forest.
Despite the fact that they help in fighting climate change, they are not immune from the effects of it. They require the exact amount of sea-water. They drown in a too much and they dry down in too little sea water. With water level rising, mangroves existence is at risk.
Mangroves also fight coastal erosion. 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 hurricanes and typhoons is much more severe.
To protect the mangroves, we have identified these simple steps:
- Reuse, Recycle, Segregate waste and dispose your garbage properly. Waste that reaches the water ways affects the ecosystem, which affects our mangroves.
- Do not cut and burn mangroves.
- Use only one area to park boats and make sure they are not near mangrove areas.
- Talk to people who are knowledgeable with mangroves.
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