Philippine mangrove loss tops 60% since 1918

The Philippines has lost more than 60 percent of its mangrove cover since 1918, government data show, as stronger storms and coastal development put remaining forests under pressure.

In Batuan town in Masbate province, WWF-Philippines project manager Andrea Pimentel is working with local communities to rehabilitate mangroves across 245 hectares. Workers are driving bamboo poles into the seabed to build fences intended to slow waves and stop sediment from choking tidal channels.

Mangroves help protect coastal communities from storm surges and erosion in a country hit by about 20 typhoons a year. Pimentel said increasingly frequent and stronger typhoons can damage the trees despite their resilience.

Park ranger Bernard Almogera said repeated storms have left bare patches in a once-dense forest. “We're really scared, because if the mangroves disappear and a strong typhoon comes, our houses will surely be knocked down,” he said.

Scientists cited in the supplied information warn that bamboo fences are cheap but can rot within three years, leaving debris that may affect the trees they are meant to protect. Pimentel said the fences are still a quick and affordable measure if they are replaced before they deteriorate.

A 2024 study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature found that half the world's mangrove ecosystems are at risk of collapse because of climate change, rising sea levels and human activity. A 2023 survey of 10 Southeast Asian countries found the Philippines had the second-highest mangrove losses.