Mangrove Revegetation Potentials of Brackish-Water Pond Areas in the Philippines - Aquaculture and the Environment: A Shared Destiny - page 31

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Mangrove Revegetation Potentials of
Brackish-Water Pond Areas in the Philippines
Maricar S. Samson 1,2 and Rene N. Rollon 3
1 Br. Alfred Shields FSC Marine Station, De La Salle University, Manila
2 School of Environmental Science and Management,
University of the Philippines Los Baños
3 Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology,
University of the Philippines Diliman
Philippines
1. Introduction
The Philippines is one of the countries with the most number of true - mangrove species
(about 42 species, 18 families, Table 1 ) (Primavera, 2004; Spalding et al 2010; Polidoro et al
2010). However Philippine mangrove forests suffered greatly from anthropogenic activities,
i.e. cutting for firewood and charcoal, siltation caused by upland deforestation, and
conversion of mangrove areas to shrimp ponds, fishponds and salt ponds (Primavera 1991,
1995, 2000; Field, 1998; FAO, 2003, 2007). From 1918 (~450,000) to 1998 (112,400), mangrove
cover declined by more than 75% ( Figure 1 ). In 2007, the remaining mangrove areas in the
Philippines was estimated at 289,350 hectares (DENR-NAMRIA 2007), a value which is 61%
(176,950) higher than 1998 estimate. However, most of these are estimates based on satellite
images that need to be validated on field.
The typical historical zonation of mangrove species in the Philippines follows that described
by Duke et al in 1998 for mangroves found along Daintee River in Australia. Species with
pneumatophores are commonly found at the low-intertidal; prop- and knee roots species are
in the mid-intertidal; and buttress or plank root species are at the high intertidal area
( Figure 2a ). However due to the aforementioned large scale conversion to aquaculture
ponds, the mangrove communities at the middle zone were diminished ( Figure 2b ).
Of the total mangrove areas that were deforested, sixty-eight percent were converted to
brackish-water ponds (Primavera, 1995, 2000). One of the legal instrument of operation of
brackish-water ponds in the Philippines is the Fishpond Lease Agreement (FLA) that is
being granted by the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) under
the Department of Agriculture (DA). In 2007, there were 59,923 hectares of potential
brackish-water ponds with FLA belonging to 4,386 registered operators (BFAR, n.d.).
However, the license agreement of almost 65% (39,152 ha) of these brackish-water ponds
with FLA are already expired and as of the list posted in December 2010 had not been
renewed. Table 2 presents the details of the top 10 provinces in terms of the area with
expired FLA licenses in the Philippines.