Few places are as vulnerable to the battering of storms and tidal erosion as the coastal areas of the islands of the Philippines. Mangrove forests form a buffer between tidal waves and the land, protecting human communities that live inland.
Cebu is one of the most developed provinces in the country and the main center of commerce, trade, education and industry in Southern Philippines. Cebu is a long narrow island stretching 225 km (140 mi) from north to south with predominant rolling hills and rugged mountain ranges traversing the entire length of the island. Most of its population lives along its narrow coastal plains.
The Mangrove forests in Cebu that can be its first line of defense against tidal waves are only 12.7 square kilometers in a coastline that is 916.7 kilometers long. Most of its mangrove swamps was lost because of land reclamation, conversion to shrimp farms, residential and industrial development.
75% of commercial fish species are known to spend part of their life cycle in the mangrove swamps. The loss of Cebu’s Mangroves has resulted in declining fish harvests in a sea once known for the richness of its biodiversity.
The One Million Mangroves Project encourages the active involvement of the schools, business sector, civic groups and the public to plant mangroves.
