Tovic Salvador

The multisectoral struggle to protect Mandaue City's 'Last Forest'

Article (news)

Annie Perez

ABS-CBN News

<p>CEBU — Mandaue City in Cebu is a typical bustling metropolis — vehicles fill highways lined with tall buildings and factories. </p><p>In fact, it is one of the three highly-urbanized cities in the province with a population of over 400,000 and an annual income of more than P50 million. </p><p>But the city still boasts a natural gem along its coast. It is what experts call the city’s &quot;Last Forest&quot; — the mangroves.</p><p>Mandaue still has lush green pockets of this tropical plant tucked quietly along eight coastal barangays. </p><p>Around 2 percent, or about 74 hectares, of Mandaue City&#x27;s total land area comprises the mangroves, according to data from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources - Forestry Management Bureau. </p><p>This is equivalent to 103 soccer fields.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1749358474699data visualization.png" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><em>Photo from H20 Gibeon</em></span></span></span></div><p>Ellen Funesto, chair of the Department of Biology and Environmental Science at the University of the Philippines Cebu, said that mangroves are &quot;very important&quot; as they are at the base of the ecological food chain.</p><p>&quot;They protect the coast against flooding, against strong waves. They are also nurseries for small shrimps, crabs and fishes. That’s where the adults lay their eggs,&quot; said Funesto.</p><p>However, the total mangrove cover of the city continues to face an imminent threat from the continuous need for development and from the effects of climate change. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>VULNERABLE SPECIES FOUND</strong></div><p>In 2018, a group of marine biologists found eight different species of mangrove along the coast.</p><p>One is classified as “vulnerable&quot; by the International Union for Conservation of Nature - Avicennia rumphiana. This means that the species has a high risk of extinction, although not yet endangered.</p><p>It is unique by its appearance alone: the mangrove is huge like a tree and grows landward. </p><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1749358678546Generic mangrove shot.JPG" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>&quot;They are close to exploitation, such as development around the area potentially endangering their survival. Their population has dwindled,&quot; said marine biologist Mark Darwin Dimzon.</div><p>There are only about a hundred of these vulnerable mangroves, also locally known as &quot;Kalumpinay&quot; in Mandaue City.</p><p>Dimzon and his colleagues might have also found samples of the endangered <em>Camptostemon philippinense</em><em></em>, which is undergoing verification.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>MOVE TO PROTECT </strong></div><p>Fishers in the city have devoted their lives to protecting the city’s remaining forest. </p><p>One of them is Rene Cobong, president of the Federation of Fisherfolk and Bantay Dagat.</p><p>He recalled how abusive he and his fellow fishers were to the mangroves, but after learning about their importance, they make sure that nobody tries to harm them.</p><p>During their daily grind, they do not only catch fish but also catch those who sneak in to steal or damage any part of the mangrove cover.</p><p>“The mangroves here are not just ordinary trees. They are part of our lives. I promised my children and grandchildren that while I can still walk, I will try my best to protect it. I will stand for them until my death,” said a teary-eyed Cobong in Cebuano.</p><p>The youth sector is also involved in its conservation. </p><p>Sharon Labay, 25 years old, wakes up early every weekend to propagate seedlings and assist individuals who want to do mangrove planting.</p><p>“We commit even if there is no salary, at least we can help Mother Earth. The mangroves are a big help to us, especially to our lives,” said Labay, who recalled that their home was protected by the mangroves during the strong wind and rain of Super typhoon Odette in 2021.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>POLICIES IN PLACE</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C2bfOrHncbc??si=CWEPRjYqX9JSwF4y&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong></div><p>The group of marine biologists has already made several recommendations to the local government unit for them to adopt in line with mangrove conservation.</p><p>“We see that it can mitigate climate change. Conservation also has a direct impact on sustainable development. By merely protecting this, it’s like protecting our future that we can thrive amidst the challenges,” said environmental planner Karen Gatus.</p><p>The city, on the other hand, has enacted ordinance 15-2019-1485, also known as “An Ordinance Declaring the Entire Mangrove Area Within the Territorial Jurisdiction of Mandaue City as Mangrove Forest Protected Area.”</p><p>The ordinance also has provisions for making the whole mangrove cover an aquatic and marine wildlife sanctuary while imposing penalties against those who would go against it. </p><p>It has also created the Mangrove Protection Governing Board, which consists of different sectors and the same purpose for conservation. </p><p>“We are strongly enforcing our local policy and empowering people involved,” said Sharon Mangadlao, officer-in-charge of the Mandaue City Agriculture Office.</p><p>The city admitted that its efforts might not be enough to reach its goal of a wider mangrove cover and protection.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE ACADEME</strong></div><p>Two universities in Cebu are also helping Mandaue City in its conservation efforts. </p><p>The University of the Philippines Cebu is active in collating data so that they can lobby international bodies to declare the mangrove site a key biodiversity area. </p><p>“There have to be scientific surveys that prove this area is unique and houses plants, organisms that are rare for them to consider it to be a KBA. It takes a long time and takes resources,” added UP Cebu&#x27;s Funesto.</p><p>On the other hand, the University of San Carlos (USC) also continues to study other impacts that may harm the mangroves, such as waste, among others.</p><p>“We need to learn the value of the mangrove. Communities should be able to appreciate that mangroves, not underappreciated and undervalued,” said Kristina Paler, associate professor of USC&#x27;s biology department. </p><p>The country’s mangrove cover has dwindled from 450,000 hectares in 1920. </p><p>As of today, DENR-FMB reports that it has reached 311,400. </p><p>Mandaue City hopes that its collaboration with different sectors will become a role model for local government units, especially those that are lucky enough to still have their own mangroves.</p><p>To them, it is more than just luck but a calling.</p><div><br/></div><div><em>Reporting for this story was supported by Internews’ Earth Journalism Network.</em></div><div><br/></div><div><em><strong></strong></em><strong></strong><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong><strong></strong><em><strong></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-RHyj3Am_Ug??si=uiolNykNtfAu3xSg&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong></em><br/></div>

<p>Around 2 percent or about 74 hectares of Mandaue City's land area comprises the mangroves, which face the threat of continuous need for development and the effects of climate change. </p>

Around 2 percent or about 74 hectares of Mandaue City's land area comprises the mangroves, which face the threat of continuous need for development and the effects of climate change.