Mangroves for climate mitigation Mangroves are part of the blue carbon ecosystems (BCE). These are highly productive coastal ecosystems that can store large amounts of carbon in the atmosphere. In this case, mangroves store and sequester substantial amounts of carbon in their aboveground biomass (bark, leaves, branches) and belowground biomass (soil sediment) accumulated. Certainly, mangrove blue carbon ecosystems...
Mangroves in the Philippines We have the common knowledge that whenever we encounter a plant or tree species, we always end up with one conclusion. They absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. Conversely, they are called autotrophs. They are organisms that can make their food. And in the process, they support humans and other living things...
Blue Carbon Initiative Seagrass and mangroves are the coastal blue carbon ecosystems of the tropical regions. With this, the BlueCARES Project, a research project of the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia organized its 2nd National Blue Carbon Symposium, an avenue where scientists and practitioners engage and discuss climate-related issues and initiatives. Mangrove Restoration Oceanus Conservation focuses...
With the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic, many of the world’s deep-rooted problems arose. Evidently, climate change, pollution, and the health system are just a few of the many issues that the pandemic is highlighting. This require a major structural change and shared solutions that are rooted in the Sustainable Development Goals in order to...
What is the issue with coral reefs? The Philippines is found within the Coral Triangle, the epicenter of marine biodiversity. Our country along with Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and the Solomon Islands. The Philippines is home to over 500 species of stony corals. In addition, more than 2,000 marine species are associated with...
Blue carbon is the carbon that is stored in mangroves and seagrass, which are blue carbon ecosystems. For this reason, mangrove and seagrass carbon storage are extremely high. These ecosystems have a great capacity to take up and store carbon in the atmosphere. What a great way to mitigate climate change! Furthermore, participating in citizen...
The Philippines is one of the mega-diverse countries in the world with high species endemism. However, there is a lack of ocean literacy and limited access to marine environmental education in most of the educational institutions around the country. In 2020, we started an initiative of creating an educational children’s storybook that tackles the lack...
After a 2-week long negotiations by country delegates, and side events, about 50,000 participants attended online and in-person to share solutions, ideas and build partnerships. We heard many encouraging statements such as leaders representing 90% of the world’s forests pledge to halt deforestation by 2030. EU and US and other 100 countries pledge to cut...
“Mangroves are storm and wave protectors” Salay community member We recently conducted a perception survey with the Mangrove Organization in Salay, a municipality located in the northern region of Mindanao Island in the Philippines. It was a semi-structured survey to understand the people’s: (i) knowledge about mangroves, (ii) attitudes toward restoration efforts, and (iii) needs...
Real-time technology is now within reach these days. Our team deployed a real-time temperature sensor in the Municipality of Lian, Batangas which is an in-kind grant to monitor temperature changes that will affect coral reef health in the area. This is the first smart temperature buoy deployed in the Philippines for coral reef temperature monitoring!...
