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
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