NUEVA VALENCIA, Guimaras – Some 200 mangrove propagules were planted along the coast of Barangay La Paz here on Feb. 20 by personnel of the municipal government and police station.
Mangrove planting is a quarterly activity of the local government.
Mangrove forests are extremely productive ecosystems that provide numerous goods and services both to the marine environment and people. They are home to a large variety of fish, crab, shrimp, and mollusk species. These fisheries form an essential source of food for coastal communities.
The dense root systems of mangrove forests trap sediments flowing down rivers and off the land. This helps stabilizes the coastline and prevents erosion from waves and storms. In areas where mangroves have been cleared, coastal damage from typhoons is much more severe.
Police Lieutenant Gary Diaz, officer-in-charge of the Nueva Valencia police station, led his 23 personnel in the mangrove planting, just a few days after they joined a tree planting activity in Barangay Sto. Domingo on Feb. 13. They planted some 200 seedlings of Itang-itang tree.
Also joining Saturday’s mangrove planting were personnel of the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Highway Patrol Group, Bureau of Fire Protection of Nueva Valencia, Philippine Coast Guard and barangay officials and residents of Barangay La Paz./PN
