HIGHLIGHTS

August 17, 2007, Rotary International District 3860 under the leadership of Governor Joseph Michael Espina entered into Memorandum of Agreement with Coastal Conservation and Education Foundation, Inc. (CCEF, Inc.). The signing of the MOA marked as the instigation of the support of Rotary to Cebu’s One Million mangroves for Cebu Project.

To add glamour to the existing campaign, the Rotary Club of Mactan together with the Rotary Club of Mandaue North, Rotary Club of Mandaue East, Rotary Club of Cebu East and an international partner the Rotary Club of Kainan East, hosted the participation of Miss Chin-chin Gutierrez to use her celebrity stature to promote environmental awareness in the Philippines. Ms.Gutierrez appeared on the cover of TIME Magazine as one of its Asian Heroes fro 2003 and was named among The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service in 200, also for environment advocacy. Ms Gutierrez planted 1, 600 pieces of mangrove propagules in the mangrove nursery as her own way of urging the Cebuanos to protect, conserve and reforest its existing mangrove forests.

Different Rotary Clubs spread throughout the Province of Cebu initiates their own Mangrove Planting Activities in partnership and cooperation with coastal communities and local government unit. To ensure sustainable mangrove plantation maintenance, the mangrove management bodies were formed at the barangay/community level where the mangrove plantations are located. These mangrove management bodies will do the after care of the newly planted mangroves and ensure its proper growth. They also manage their own mangrove nurseries in order to grow more mangrove seedlings. Mangrove seedlings will have 60-80% survival rate compared to that of a mangrove propagules. These mangrove plantations have been effectively managed particularly because each of the rotary club adopted a mangrove planting site which is located in a certain municipality.

The Alternative Livelihood Projects are being introduced by the Rotary Club to the mangrove management body, this will also provide the communities the motivation to ensure the sustainability of the mangrove plantation and continue the reforestation activities in their areas. Rotary also provides continuous services to the members of the community