Mangrove status in Eastern Samar [Philippines]

The mangroves are considered one of the most productive ecosystems. These are composed of plants,animals and microorganisms that have adapted to the dynamics environment of the tropical intertidal zone.The Philippine mangrove forest have 97 species, from where Filipinos gather food, forage for animals,building materials, and trees of which many are economically important. Matarinao, Salcedo in Eastern Samar, has a coastline with an extensive growth of mangroves that shelter the community from strong waves during typhoon. With the granting of the 'for shore lease agreement' by DENR, Ciasico and Ciasico (ESSU) evaluated the Matarinao mangroves to documents its current status before it could be affected by the said DENR agreement. Findings of the revealed the following: Species composition, species density, and basal area were documented in the Matarinao mangrove. Ten species of mangrove trees were found in the area namely, Rhizophora apiculata,R. mucronata, Aviccenia marina, Aegiceras floridum, Sonnenatia alba, Bruguiera sexangula, Exoeceria agallocha, Pemphis acidula, Xylocarpus granatum, and Lumnitzera littorea. The most dominant species found in the 1,625-sq km area was Rhizophora while the least abundant species was Bruguiera and Aegiceras. The average basal area found was 4.8 sq m, with an average canopy of 5.8 ft and a stand density of 192/ha. Although mangrove destruction partly increased due to the granting of the agreement by DENR, reforestation of about 100 sq m has been done in the north in an attempt to replace the mangrove loss. The study recommended the continued rehabilitation of denuded area to increase density. Other recommendations of the study included the identification of a preservation area to maintain its ecosystem function and the conduct of environmental impact assessments (EIAs) of projects to be implemented in the mangrove area for consideration by the LGU planners. Campaign/promotion on environmental awareness should also be done and the reforestation of mangrove areas by all 'for shore lease' beneficiaries should be required.