By ERWIN ‘AMBO’ DELILAN
OF ALL the mass weddings (Kasalang Bayan) in Negros Occidental on Feb. 14, the Municipality of E.B. Magalona stood out with a bit of meaningful tack.
Eleven days before the wedding date, 33 couples were required to join the mangrove planting along the coastal area of Barangay Tomongtong.
There, too, they were taught about recycling using the 7Rs principle – recycle, refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, re-gift, and recover.
Both activities, as planned by the town’s Local Civil Registry (LCR) and Municipal Environment Office (MEO), were simple but meant for couples to say their “I dos” for the environment, too. Though there was no “shock and awe” element, there’s “depth within to be fathomed”.
Yes, the “cause-and-effect” of both mangrove planting and recycling mentoring may not be “gigantic” in the eyes and ears of the common tao. They’re “bangless”, thus, no entertainment value. But amid serious environmental challenges like climate change or global warming, these “small-time” undertakings matter.
LOGICAL DRIVE
In essence, mangrove planting in EB Magalona aimed at expanding the famous 20-hectare tourism and seafood haven Tomongtong Mangrove Eco-Trail (TMET) is quite a logical drive.
This second-class municipality is “sandwiched forever” by two industrial cities in northern Negros – Silay and Victorias.
Silay has the Hawaiian-Philippine Sugar Central and Victorias is home to the Lucio Tan-led Victorias Milling Company (VMC). Scientifically speaking, both sugar mills are carbon emitters. Meaning, they’re sources of green gas emission (GGE).
Talking of GGE, it includes the trio – carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxide gasses. This trio could be a “little bit precarious” to both humans and environment if ain’t properly managed or sequestered.
Studies revealed that a “sea of mangroves” is the best carbon sink forest in the world. This, as mangrove per se is widely-known to be the best in carbon capture knack. Therefore, mangrove forest is at par with tropical forests when we talk about carbon sinks.
‘ALLURE AND ELUSIVENESS’
Reading Chief Security Officer for American Electric Power Steve Zwick’s article on mangroves, I can’t help but be awed.
Zwick dwelled on the “allure and elusiveness” of mangroves so his readers are properly guided why there’s a need to value these salt-tolerant trees.
Stressed by Zwick, “It’s hard to imagine a more valuable ecosystem than a mangrove forest.”
Having more than 20 hectares of mangrove forest (with a mixture of decades-old and neophyte trees) is EB Magalona’s simple yet valuable way of protecting her people from “carbon mess”. Quite tricky to understand, but I assure you there’s “it” in it.
Question: Is there really a carbon tragedy?
Yes, and the infamous one was the “Lake Nyos disaster”.
On Aug. 21, 1986 a limnic eruption at Lake Nyos in northwestern Cameroon killed 1,746 people and 3,500 livestock.
The eruption triggered the sudden release of about 1.6 million tons of carbon dioxide, descending onto nearby villages and displacing all the air and suffocating people and livestock.
‘FOREVER LOVE’
Mayor Malacon said the gist of the mangrove planting as a requirement for the annual mass wedding in their town is to inculcate in the minds of the soon-to-be parents the “love for environment”.
Love for the environment is a “forever love”, the mayor stressed, because such could be spread from generation to generation.
Why in TMET?
“We need to expand this mangrove forest that serves now as a tourism haven and, at the same time, source of livelihood for Tomongtong people,” the mayor explained.
TMET is now home to the famous blue crabs, among other marine resources.
Too, it’s “blessed” with the best salinity of sea water, making the seafood, especially the blue crabs there, have a distinctive taste. Thus, EB Magalona is now billed as the “Blue Crabs Capital” of Negros Occ.
TMET is visited by thousands of local and foreign tourists every month. That’s why TMET is one of the town’s current economic and tourism boosters as well as an excellent showcase of environmental protection.
But more than that, TMET is a “formidable wall” that protects Tomongtong residents from typhoons, the chief executive added./PN
