ADOPT A MANGROVE

In spite of its enormous importance, mangrove trees have been continually cut and mangrove forests are now degraded. In 1918, it was estimated that mangroves covered 450,000 hectares in the country. For over 75 years, over 310,000 hectares of the country’s mangroves were lost primarily due to conversion of mangrove for fishponds, prawn farms, salt ponds, reclamation and other forms of industrial development, as well as poor and unsustainable management of many aquaculture industries.

 For this reason, CCEF is highlighting the need to protect this critical part of the coastal ecosystem through its ADOPT-A-MANGROVE COMMUNITY PROJECT.

The over-all goal of ADOPT-A-MANGROVE COMMUNITY PROJECT is to enhance community-based reforestation and rehabilitation of mangrove areas through public and private participation in the continuous effort to plant mangroves in Central Philippines.

The specific objectives are: (1) to reforest identified degraded mangrove areas in the Provinces of Cebu, Siquijor, and Bohol by enhanced mangrove planting, and establishment and management of mangrove nurseries; and (2) to draw public support and develop a collaborative spirit among local government units and/or People’s Organizations, business sector, student population and civic groups in protecting mangroves and the coastal zone in general. The project will also provide technical assistance in the establishment, management and strengthening of mangrove nursery. The program also expects to encourage the active involvement of the elementary and high schools, civic groups and the public to plant mangroves.

The ADOPT-A-MANGROVE COMMUNITY program involves several strategies: mangrove reforestation and mangrove nursery establishment/management, Together with such, information campaigns to the general public will be an integral part of the program in order to encourage their support and involvement.  

(a) Mangrove Reforestation Program. This program hopes to avert the declining mangrove forests in the target provinces and, at the same time, improve the management of existing mangrove areas in the target municipalities. A certain municipality is expected to have an average of 2 hectares mangrove planting site.  Plantation will be conducted in these areas where natural regeneration has been deemed difficult to perpetuate and/or when regeneration potential is nil. In these situations, tree establishment and growth have to be accelerated through mangrove plantation activities.

(b) Mangrove Nursery Establishment and Management Program. This program hopes to assist LGUs and People’s Organizations in their nursery and plantation activities. A mangrove nursery will be established. Such nursery will be a place for raising and tending mangrove seedlings until they are ready for planting or for sale to other mangrove planters. A mangrove nursery is needed in raising planting materials from mangroves with small seeds thereby enhancing biodiversity; raising seedlings intended for replanting dead plants and in raising bigger-sized seedlings needed for planting in sites which are difficult to reforest.

You or your company can help CCEF assist a local community thru the ADOPT-A-MANGROVE project. For individual donors, one mangrove seedling costs P10 (or about $.25) while one mangrove propagule costs P1 (or about $.02). For corporate donors, assistance for a year in one target community would be P200,000 (or about $4,250). For more information, please write to us at ccef@mozcom.com.

You may make donations by sending a check directly to CCEF in Cebu City, or email us at donate@coast.ph for wire transfer information.

If you live in the U.S., you may donate by check or credit card through the Ayala Foundation, a U.S. 501(c)3 organization, and receive a tax deduction receipt. Be sure to indicate that your donation is for Coastal Conservation and Education Foundation, Inc.

Your contribution can go a long way in helping protect and save our mangroves!