Managing the mangrove of Panguil Bay, Philippines

Panguil Bay used to be one of the richest fishing grounds in the country and was a major source of prawn fry, prawn spawners,and many commercially important finfishes, cephalopods, crabs, and seashell. With increased threats to the mangroves, fish production in the bay is endangered. Therefore, efforts are directed towards maintaining their integrity and sustaining their ecological roles. Over the last decade, interventions to address the issue of declining mangrove cover had been made by government agencies and non-government organizations. Yet, impacts of these initiatives to reverse the declining trend in the mangroves need to be determined. Roxas et al. (MSU) studied the mangroves of Panguil Bay to determine the species composition, density and basal area cover of the mangroves, the pattern of resource utilization, and the people's experiences on mangrove rehabilitation projects. The project also identified the threats to the remaining mangrove resources of the bay. The study was conducted from 2005-2006. Findings of the study revealed the following: a total of 21 true mangrove and 15 mangrove-associated species were identified around the bay. Among the ten municipalities and two cities assessed within the mangroves, the municipality of Kolambugan had the highest number of true mangrove species followed by Lala and Ozamiz City. Of the total mangrove area of 550.84 ha, Kolambugan had the highest mangrove cover of 139.26 ha with 95% or 132.31 ha covered. The municipality of Kapatagan had an estimated cover of 135.14 ha of natural growth. Total reforested area in the bay was 215.19 ha which was not even half of the 494.52 ha estimated in 1995. It also revealed that previous interventions had not improved the mangrove status in the bay. Continuing massive fish pond development remained a threat to what was left of the mangrove area.Some areas also had private claims on land ownership that could railroad the established mangrove programs of the government. The remaining mangroves in Panguil Bay may not be enough to support the demands on the fishery resources thus wise management of this last frontier is a must to maintain and enhance its economic and ecological roles.