December 2021 nang manalasa sa bansa ang Super Typhoon #OdettePH. Nagdulot ito ng malalakas na ulan, hangin at storm surge sa malaking bahagi ng bansa, lalo na sa Visayas at Mindanao.
Sa datos ng National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), mahigit 7 million individuals ang naapektuhan ng Bagyong Odette. Mahigit 400 ang nasawi dahil dito. More than 2 million houses ang na-damage at mahigit 1,700 ang damaged infrastructures. Hindi bababa sa 15 ang naiulat na casualties sa Siargao.
Pero naniniwala ang mga lokal na residente at pamahalaan na posibleng mas malaki pa ang damages sa lugar kung wala ang proteksyon ng mangroves o bakawan.
Gaano kahalaga ang mangroves sa laban natin sa climate change? Here’s what you #NeedToKnow.
Sa datos ng National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), mahigit 7 million individuals ang naapektuhan ng Bagyong Odette. Mahigit 400 ang nasawi dahil dito. More than 2 million houses ang na-damage at mahigit 1,700 ang damaged infrastructures. Hindi bababa sa 15 ang naiulat na casualties sa Siargao.
Pero naniniwala ang mga lokal na residente at pamahalaan na posibleng mas malaki pa ang damages sa lugar kung wala ang proteksyon ng mangroves o bakawan.
Gaano kahalaga ang mangroves sa laban natin sa climate change? Here’s what you #NeedToKnow.
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00:00One of the most devastating storms hit Odette in 2021, the surfing capital of the Philippines,
00:26on Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte.
00:29The next landfall happened earlier.
00:32This was the first landfall in the first half of the afternoon on Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte.
00:38You, as a person, can no longer stand up.
00:42Because of the strong winds, you can no longer stand up.
00:45You will collapse.
00:46And the water level really rose.
00:48The sea level rose along the coastal areas.
00:53December 2021, the super typhoon Odette hit the country.
00:57It was hit by heavy rain, wind, and storm surge in a large part of the country,
01:04especially in Visayas and Mindanao.
01:07According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council or NDRRMC,
01:14more than 7 million individuals were affected by the typhoon Odette.
01:19More than 400 were affected because of this.
01:23More than 2 million houses were damaged.
01:26And more than 1,700 damaged infrastructures.
01:31The estimated casualties in Siargao are not less than 15.
01:36But local residents and the government believe that the damages in the area are possibly even greater
01:43if there is no protection from mangroves or mangroves.
01:47The sea is really flooding the mangroves.
01:51So if there are no mangroves, the impact will be on the community.
01:57How important are mangroves in our fight against climate change?
02:01Here's what you need to know.
02:05Have you ever seen grass in the middle of the sea or water like these?
02:11Mangroves or bakawan are called there.
02:15This is a series of trees that can be seen in coastal areas.
02:18This is a type of coastal forest.
02:21So forest living in a coastal area.
02:23But it's a forest. It's the same as the forest in the upland.
02:26The main difference is that if you look at the roots of the mangroves,
02:29the roots are surely under the ground.
02:33But most of the roots are actually found outside the ground.
02:39Although, mangroves have many similarities with terrestrial forests.
02:45Mangroves are considered a coastal ecosystem
02:48because of their location, functions, and adaptations.
02:53Mangrove trees can survive in salt water.
02:57They live in muddy and low-oxygen soil.
03:02They can also withstand changing tides.
03:06Mangroves can only adapt to that environment.
03:08And it needs to learn to adapt to that stressful environment.
03:14In Del Carmen, Siargao Island,
03:17the largest contiguous mangrove forest in the Philippines can be found.
03:22Its area is almost 5,000 hectares.
03:25According to Gina Barquilla,
03:27Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Officer,
03:31the role of the mangroves here is important
03:34to protect their town during the typhoon.
03:37That was the time when the typhoon was really strong.
03:41The typhoon blocked the mangrove areas.
03:47Since the mangroves are here as barriers,
03:49the impact was lesser.
03:52How do mangroves become natural barriers during typhoons?
03:57According to Dr. Severino Salmo III of the UP Diliman Institute of Biology,
04:02this is possible due to the structural complexity of mangroves.
04:06Each mangrove tree has a complicated network of roots.
04:10It has individual pencil-like roots.
04:14This is called a pneumatophore, which can be seen on the ground.
04:18It also has an underground network of roots.
04:21This helps to weaken the strong waves and floods
04:26before it reaches the town and the community.
04:29The sizes of the roots are different.
04:32If it fits in one layer of roots,
04:34the impact will be reduced all the way to the shoreline.
04:39Whoever lives behind the mangroves,
04:42they somehow have a level of protection.
04:45In addition, mangrove forests also play a big role
04:49in fighting climate change
04:51due to their natural carbon sequestration capabilities.
04:55Mangroves are natural carbon sinks.
04:58They can absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
05:02This is why mangrove forests play a big role
05:06in reducing global temperatures.
05:12According to Dr. Salmo,
05:14mangroves can store up to five times more carbon
05:19than other forests.
05:21During photosynthesis,
05:23plants use carbon dioxide
05:26to make oxygen and carbohydrates to help them grow.
05:30Carbon is stored in the leaves, branches, and roots of plants.
05:34If it is stored correctly,
05:36other carbon returns to the atmosphere through respiration.
05:40But for mangroves,
05:42dead leaves and branches are trapped or buried in the sediments
05:46so it is slower to decompose.
05:49The one unique characteristic of mangrove is that
05:52it lacks oxygen in the sediment.
05:55What does it mean if it has no oxygen in the sediment?
05:58It is slow or practically has no respiration.
06:02Because of that feature,
06:04the anaerobic environment of mangroves
06:06does not lose the carbon in the sediment.
06:10It is trapped there.
06:12That's the reason why carbon is stabilized and sequestered
06:16in a long period in mangroves.
06:18The estimate is 100,000 to 1,000 years.
06:21Mangrove forests are also rich in biodiversity,
06:24both for terrestrial and marine biodiversity.
06:28It serves as a breeding ground
06:29for various marine life and wildlife.
06:33Why do animals go under the trees?
06:37They try to avoid predation.
06:40If the species that eats the prey is large,
06:43like juvenile species,
06:45it is difficult for them to traverse the complicated root network.
06:49Mangroves are also self-sustaining.
06:51It means that it can recover naturally
06:55and it can also survive strong storms.
06:57Especially if its forest cover is sufficient.
07:00In areas that you have less cover,
07:03at some point, their vulnerability will increase.
07:07So possibly, there could be times that mangroves cannot survive typhoons.
07:13But if the mangrove cover is okay,
07:16like the historical figure as demonstrated in Siargao experience,
07:20they can survive.
07:22But according to Dr. Salmo,
07:23one of the threats to mangroves is sea level rise and so-called coastal squeaks.
07:28As the sea level continues to rise due to climate change,
07:32it is possible that the mangroves will gradually disappear.
07:36As the sea level rises,
07:39the mangroves can sink.
07:41It is also possible for sediment erosion to occur and the mangroves to uproot.
07:46From the coastal forest,
07:48mangroves will just migrate landward.
07:52The problem is,
07:54if there is no migration area.
07:56This is our problem in the Philippines.
07:58Places that are supposed to be the migration areas for mangroves.
08:03These are occupied by resorts,
08:07settlements,
08:09or airports,
08:11or ports,
08:13or ports.
08:14Or airports,
08:16or ports,
08:17or tourism.
08:19If the mangroves are trapped and there is no movement on the land,
08:23it can be considered a coastal squeak.
08:25As a result,
08:27the mangroves will sink and with it,
08:29the protection that they will give will disappear.
08:32In addition to this,
08:34there are also human activities that are a threat to mangroves.
08:38One of these is illegal logging activities.
08:40According to the local government of Del Carmen, Siargao,
08:44illegal cutting of mangroves was illegal in the area to use for logging.
08:50Sometimes, they were called the Illegal Mangrove Cutting Capital of the Philippines.
08:56This is where the bakeries used to use to cook the bread.
09:07So, if you ask the areas, the big cities,
09:12they will say that it came from Siargao.
09:14Where is Siargao? It came from Del Carmen.
09:16So, it is a threat because it is being cut.
09:19The local government tried to stop the illegal cutting in the area.
09:25The Ecotourism Initiatives and other livelihood programs were established by the Del Carmen LGU
09:31for those who used to cut mangroves.
09:33And since 2018, there has been zero mangrove cutting in Del Carmen.
09:39So, as LGU, we are helping them in partnership with other agencies.
09:44Siargao became a tourism destination.
09:47Tourism should not be destructive here.
09:50So, we did ecotourism.
09:52In 1996, under Proclamation No. 902,
09:56Siargao Island Protected Landscape and Seascape, or CPLAS, was declared.
10:00This is the largest marine protected area in the Philippines with an area of more than 278,000 hectares.
10:08Del Carmen's mangrove forest is a part of this area.
10:11It is a protected area where there are no destructive activities for the purpose of being protected.
10:21So, aside from being a protected area,
10:24all of the municipalities, because we are surrounded by the sea,
10:28so that there is sustainability in fishing, in the sea,
10:33because the coverage of the sea in Siargao is large.
10:36LGU encouraged the police and projects to protect their mangrove forest.
10:43Monitoring on various parts of it is regular.
10:47And the reforestation and conservation efforts are also ongoing.
10:50We need to engage the community to ensure that there are no more cut-off areas.
10:56And for the protection and conservation,
10:59there are no illegal fishing activities that will be allowed here in the mangrove forest.
11:06So, for reforestation, LGU Del Carmen now has partners
11:13who are helping to reforest the areas that still need to be planted.
11:20Last November, Del Carmen's Ramsar Site of International Importance was established.
11:27This means that its importance is now internationally recognized as a biodiversity conservation site.
11:34The importance of recognizing the Del Carmen Mangrove Forest Reserve
11:40is really to help with the protection of mangrove areas.
11:47And there is a program that can help the community that is dependent here in the mangrove areas.
11:53For the many and great benefits of our mangrove forests, it is important to protect it.
12:00Because mangroves are alive, mangroves provide stability, mangroves provide livelihood, mangroves provide income.
12:09But mangroves are also important as an adaptation mechanism against rising sea level or sea level rise.
12:14Mangroves will play a lot of role with the biodiversity conservation.
12:44www.globalonenessproject.org