Yolanda Sotelo Inquirer Northern Luzon 8 Sep 10;
TUCKED IN the coastal town of Bani in western Pangasinan is a flourishing ecosystem
–almost 40 hectares of healthy mangrove forest that is home to various species of shellfish, fish and birds.
But 20 years ago, the Bangrin Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the village of San Miguel was almost a barren area. “There were very few mangroves then. Very few and far in between. It was being readied to become fishponds,” says Solomon Ochave, 50, president of the Bangrin Federation, an umbrella of people’s organizations taking care of the MPA.
Former Mayor Gabriel Navarro says the forest was a victim of the national government’s policy to convert mangrove areas into fishponds as part of efforts to increase fish production.
“Bani used to have 2,000 hectares of mangrove forests, but after the massive conversion in the 1970s up to the 1980s, only a hectare was left,” he says.
In the late 1980s, politicians and influential businessmen staked their claims to about 40 ha of mangrove forests and felled most of the trees there.
Navarro’s father, the late Marcelo Navarro Sr. who was mayor at that time, defied the national government’s order to open the area for conversion and, instead, planned to revive the mangrove forest.
“He was ahead of his time, already doing environmental conservation projects long before it became a mode,” Navarro says.
Gabriel’s brother, Marcelo Jr., who is now the mayor, and his son, Councilor John Paul, who chairs the council’s environment committee, are pursuing the mangrove rehabilitation project to continue the work left by the elder Navarro.
“This is our father’s legacy to the town, and we are very proud of it,” Marcelo Jr. says.
The same passion has rubbed on to people who wanted the rehabilitation effort to succeed.
Thriving ecosystem
Virginia Raray, the project coordinator, guides visitors by boat to the mangrove forest to observe the thriving ecosystem. Something there seems to awe and silence visitors – perhaps the mangroves’ tangled roots, their flowers and fruits of different colors and shapes, or the chirping of birds.
Birds started flying every which way as the boat passed through the sanctuary. “When disturbed, nestlings or baby birds instinctively fly and they fell down and drown. This is why the protocol now is for everyone to stay quiet,” municipal agriculturist Gloria Gloria says.
Fifty-seven species of birds, including the endangered Philippine duck, have made the Bangrin forest their home.
According to the municipality’s quarterly assessments, the bird population never goes down 1,000 each time, but the dominant species depend on the survey month, Raray says. In January, a survey team counted 4,796 birds.
The mangrove forest is watery or muddy, depending on the tide. Its bed teems with 21 species of shellfish and nine species of fish, including the lapu-lapu (grouper).
The first mangrove seedlings (propagules) were planted sometime in 1990 when Bani entered into a three-year community contract with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for an integrated mangrove rehabilitation project.
Five years later, another municipal initiative – a community-based upland development project – won the DENR’s Likas Yaman Award with a prize of P1 million worth of environmental projects. The local officials decided to use the award to expand the mangrove plantation which, in turn, won the Likas Yaman Award in 1996.
Seedlings were planted in more than nine ha of forest land the following year. The project was stalled, however, when three typhoons came in 1998 and battered the year-old seedlings, leaving only 600 of the 30,130 seedlings standing.
But Bani officials did not lose heart.
In 2000, during a consultation with the fisher folk, it was agreed that the plantation site be declared a marine protected area, empowering the community to oversee and protect the reforestation project.
Covenant
A covenant was signed between the local government and the fishermen of Barangays Aporao and San Miguel for them to become co-managers. This led to continuous planting of various mangrove species and expanding the project areas.
While various agencies help in technical guidance and funds, the residents are directly involved in planting and taking care of the seedlings, and guarding the area from illegal activities.
A netted fence protects the seedlings from debris. During high tide, the residents would painstakingly remove the floating algae before the seedlings are suffocated.
Like eager parents, they count each stem and sprouting leaf for documentation. The growth of mature trees is monitored and their trunks are measured yearly.
“The fishermen also protect the mangrove forest from poaching and other illegal activities,” Ochave says. “Fishing is strictly prohibited inside the protected area, but it is allowed outside the boundaries.”
Nursery
William Raboy, Bangrin Federation vice president, says the fishermen have realized that the protected area, which serves as nursery to fish and shellfish, is a big help in increasing their fish catch. Daily fish catch rose from 2 kilograms in 1995 to 3.25 kg in 2000 and 6.68 kg in 2007, he said.
The mangrove forest’s thick canopy has also attracted both endemic and migratory birds, which, in turn, draws the attention of conservationists, bird watchers, students and tourists.
The forest has been declared a bird sanctuary in 2008 and one of the 13 bird-watching sites in the country by the recreational outdoor exchange, Wild Bird Club of the Philippines and the Department of Tourism.
A 500-meter-long boardwalk was built for bird watchers. A pavilion is being constructed for the visitors.
The town bought two motorized boats and five paddle boats to service visitors for a minimal fee. Members of people’s organizations act as tour guides.
Navarro says the community’s determination to keep the mangrove forest alive is so strong. “I don’t know what keeps them motivated, but they really are,” he says.
