Mangrove blue carbon in the Verde Island Passage

Coastal communities are deeply dependent on coastal ecosystems while being especially vulnerable to climate change. Intense typhoons, storm surge, and habitat loss due to coral bleaching are among the impacts that threaten their lives and livelihoods. These will only become more severe if carbon dioxide emissions continue to increase unabated. Blue carbon is a natural innovation to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Among the first steps in harnessing blue carbon for climate change mitigation is quantifying potential carbon storage in respective coastal habitats, and understanding the factors that influence such capacity Conservation International Philippines has initiated pioneering research in the Verde Island Passage, systematically assessing the carbon storage efficiency of representative mangroves in four provinces. This publication Mangrove Blue Carbon in the Verde Island Passage presents key results that may pave the way for further research, and enhance mangrove conservation and management. Mangrove Blue Carbon in the Verde Island Passage serves to further emphasize the inimitable role of nature in our lives. Conservation International Philippines, through its efforts on blue carbon, continues to strive towards its ultimate goal of improving human well-being

Recolonization of mollusc assemblages in mangrove plantations damaged by Typhoon Chan-hom in the Philippines

We investigated the effects of a catastrophic typhoon on mollusc assemblages of damaged mangrove plantations of different ages. Molluscs were sampled from infaunal, epifaunal and arboreal assemblages of mangrove stands in Lingayen Gulf, northwest Philippines, and compared with assemblages of un-impacted areas. Prior to the occurrence of the typhoon, there were clear shifts in the species diversity (H’) and composition of mollusc assemblages with stand age of mangrove forests. This was observed in species composition through the succession in dominance from pioneer to seral or putative climax species, and assemblage type (as arboreal, epifaunal and infaunal). However, severe damage to vegetation structure and sediment properties (associated with a reduction in tree density and canopy cover resulting in increased temperatures and exposure) following the typhoon resulted in an alteration of trajectory patterns in the damaged stands. There were shifts in species composition and dominant species from having mature mangrove-associated species (pre-typhoon) to an abrupt return in dominance of pioneer species (post-typhoon). The damage was more evident in older stands than in intermediate-aged stands. Furthermore, the reduced presence of molluscs (and also probably their activities, i.e. burrowing) may have contributed to the delayed recovery of mangroves. The prospects for recovery of the system to pre-typhoon levels are therefore uncertain where the re-establishment of seral or edaphic mollusc assemblages appears to be related to the recovery of vegetation and sediment conditions

A species-specific individual-based simulation model of mixed mangrove forest stands

A species-specific spatially explicit individual-based model has been developed to simulate the development of mixed mangrove forest stands featuring eight species. The model is a forest stand model that forecasts mangrove forest development in a 50 m x 50 m plot by simulating the recruitment, growth, and mortality of individual mangrove trees. Species-specific growth rates, shade responses, and salinity responses of each species were incorporated to observe differences in forest structure given different salinity conditions. The model used a modified Field of Neighborhood (FON) approach that considers species-specific responses to shading and a salinity response function that considers the species-specific salinity upper boundary value of optimum growth and maximum porewater salinity of a mangrove. Simulation results of 300 years given salinity conditions in a specific site in Katunggan It Ibajay (KII) showed matching dominant species in the site. Simulation results of 500 years given extreme low and high salinity values showed consistent forest dynamics where above-ground biomass and tree count approach certain limit values as the forest stand matures. Simulation results also of 300 years given salinity values ranging from 1 – 37 ppt showed the different dominant species for different salinity conditions