Philippine communities build bamboo barriers to protect mangroves

Communities in the Philippines are trying to protect damaged mangrove forests by building bamboo barriers that slow waves and keep sediment from blocking tidal channels.

In Batuan town in Masbate province, environmentalist Andrea Pimentel of WWF-Philippines is helping guide work to protect mangroves that shield coastal communities from storm surges and erosion. Workers drive bamboo poles into the seabed to reduce the amount of sediment reaching channels that carry seawater through the forest.

The report says those channels are vital because clogged waterways can cause stagnant water and deprive mangrove roots of oxygen. Repeated typhoons have already left bare patches in a once-thick two-hectare stretch of mangroves in the area.

The Philippines is hit by about 20 typhoons each year. Government data cited in the report says the country has lost more than 60 percent of its mangrove cover since 1918. Pimentel said typhoons are becoming more frequent and stronger, and that mangroves, while resilient, can still be damaged and die.

Park ranger Bernard Almogera, who fished in the area with his father decades ago, said he has seen the mangroves decline. He said some trees have been broken or uprooted by storms, and warned that nearby homes would be far more exposed if the mangroves disappeared.

Bamboo fences are a low-cost and fast way to protect mangroves, but scientists cited in the report warned that they can rot within three years. More durable permeable concrete designs cost more. Pimentel said bamboo fences still need to be used and replaced before they decay because the mangroves need immediate protection and rehabilitation.

The report links the local work to wider risks for mangroves. It says warming seas caused by climate change can produce stronger tropical storms. It also cites a 2024 International Union for Conservation of Nature study that found half of the world's mangrove ecosystems are at risk of collapse because of climate change, rising sea levels and human activity. The study found that about a quarter could be submerged by 2050 without proper conservation.

A 2023 survey of 10 Southeast Asian countries, led by Filipino scientist Severino Salmo, found that the Philippines had the second-highest mangrove losses among the countries studied. The report said climate change impacts and conversion of mangrove sites into seafood ponds were largely to blame.

Salmo, who has studied Philippine mangroves for more than 30 years, said past losses will make it harder for mangroves to adjust. He warned they will decline further without proper restoration work and stronger government policies, and said the priority should be to conserve what remains.