Coastal greenbelts vs massive flooding

A COASTAL greenbelt is a 100-meter (m) band of mangroves and beach forests along the coast that reduces the intensity of storm surges and strong waves during super typhoons and storms. Mangroves have the capacity to absorb carbon emissions four to five times greater than land forests. The advocates for their replanting claim that they make a formidable line of defense against calamities like the separate massive cases of flooding that have besieged the National Capital Region in recent weeks, starting with Typhoon Carina in July.

One such advocate, Gloria Estenzo Ramos, Oceana's vice president in the Philippines, has been lobbying for the passage of the National Coastal Greenbelt Bill, which mandated a 100-m wide band of protective coastal vegetation based on scientific conclusions that it would absorb up to 60 percent of wave energy from storms and reduce loss of lives and damage to property. The bill has been incorporated in the Integrated Coastal Management Bill passed by the Lower House and is due for approval by the Senate.

For support, Ramos has enlisted 91 local government units (LGUs) who are building their own coastal greenbelts. Among them is Negros Occidental which has allotted P1 million for 10 cities and municipalities to build nurseries. These seedlings will be planted by the year's end, providing livelihood and empowering fisherfolk to protect themselves against future storm surges and food shortages.

The campaign enlists the public to protect and grow mangroves. PHOTO BY J. AVENDAÑO

Another call to action was the photo exhibit on coastal greenbelts held at the National Museum of Natural History, which Oceana and its organizing partners hope to duplicate in other LGUs and venues. Activities like these are intended to galvanize the public and other stakeholders to help preserve and rehabilitate mangroves. From 500,000 hectares in 1918, the Philippines is down to 280,000 hectares in 2020.

Ramos attributes the «continuous decimation of mangroves on the coastal areas» to «infrastructure projects, fishponds and other so-called economic activities, grossly disregarding the protection that mangrove forest areas cause to coastal communities, and the food