MikeLigalig.com

By PIA Bohol

Putting up palliative but sustainable solution to inefficient community garbage disposal, environment authorities here call on concerned individuals to join hands and plant mangroves.

Coming in as a major part in the activities drafted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for the month-long observance of the Environment Month in June, mangrove planting teams from the DENR Penro and Cenro offices get to Tagbilaran, Dauis, Panglao on June 10 and in Clarin town on June 21 to do their share of mitigating the effects of humanity to the environment.

Aside from mangroves stopping soil erosion and spawning areas for a myriad of marine resources, mangrove ecosystems is also an efficient sieve that screens of garbage and stop them from going out to pollute our seas, explains PENRO Canda, who is also an excellent forester.

Mangroves also protect coastal communities from erosion, storm surges and even tsunamis as the mangrove root system is excellent in dissipating wave energy, according to wikepedia.

Mangroves also slow down tidal water enough that its sediment is deposited as the tide comes in, leaving all except fine particles when the tide ebbs, building their own environment, it continued.

Moreover, the environment formed by the intricate mesh of mangrove roots offer the perfect quiet marine regions for young organisms including oysters barnacles, sponges while lobsters, crayfish and shrimps use the muddy bottom as their homes.

Mud crabs and crayfish that live on the mangrove areas help mulch fallen leaves making perfect food for tiny organisms and newly hatched fish which use the shades and the intricate roots as their refuge against natural predators.

Mangroves still stand as the biggest and most productive source of food for coastal communities but the mangrove studies in the past decade bare that some estimated 150,000 hectares (370,050 acres) per year or about 1% per annum mangrove forests are lost top destruction, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The loss of a single hectare of mangroves is estimated to cost local communities between 200 and 900 thousand US dollars in lost revenues, due to the importance of these plants as an input in local products and services, says a website article from earthtrends.wri.org.

Over the economic and environmental benefits of mangrove reforestation, DENR urges everyone to join them on the project set on June 10.

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