Correspondent
THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Eastern Visayas is partnering with an environmental support group to conduct a special study that will serve as a baseline in the efforts to fully rehabilitate the coastal areas of the city damaged by Supertyphoon Yolanda.
The DENR Regional Office in Eastern Visayas (Region 8) tapped the expertise of PH Haiyan Advocacy Cooperative in the conduct of special studies, design and development to support forestry and environmental management operations in the city’s Cancabato Bay and its vicinities.
Since it was contracted last year, PH Haiyan Advocacy Cooperative has done research component of the project which include activities, such as grid impact study and bathymetric mapping, analysis of sea water, survey of existing flora and fauna in Cancabato Bay and baseline perception survey.
Results from these activities will determine future climate-change mitigation and adaptation interventions for the residents of coastal areas, and track changes brought by the implementation of different mangrove rehabilitation, protection and management interventions.
PH Haiyan Advocacy Cooperative is a survivors’ project on how Tacloban City should build the resiliency of its interdependent systems to appropriately respond to a megastorm like Yolanda and other extreme events brought about by climate change. It envisions strengthening the adaptive mechanism of the different ecosystems along elevation gradients following the nature-based landscape approach from ridge-to-reef.
Following the survey and other research activities, PH Haiyan started its mangrove- development activities, including establishment of a nursery, production of planting materials and planting to rehabilitate mangrove areas which was reported to have saved the lives of the residents in coastal areas during Yolanda.
Leyte Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Ranulfo Q. Arbiol said the series of planting activities shall be done in different coastal barangays of Tacloban City with existing mangroves and areas suitable for mangrove plantation. For this project, PH Haiyan is set to plant 383,318 mangroves in an aggregate area of 46 hectares until December 2018.
Late last year, PH Haiyan concentrated on rehabilitating 12 hectares of mangrove areas in Barangay Tagpuro, Tacloban City. The planting activity was done in cooperation with barangay local residents.
PH Haiyan’s Project Forester Tiburcio Simbulan said for each area planted, the barangay council is expected to pass a resolution imposing strict protection of the mangrove plantations.
Meanwhile, the DENR said under this project, mangrove areas within the Cancabato Bay will be properly mapped, delineated, assessed, developed and reforested.