Mangroves, Seagrass and Coral:

The Three Kingdoms

Mutual benefits among mangrove, sea grass,

and coral reef ecosystems

Mangrove Seagrass Coral Reef

Lagoon Seagrass & algae Coral formations

Physical buffer

Varied habitat, feeding and spawning area

Uses nutrients efficiently

Binds sediments

Nursery, feeding and spawning area

Produces nutrients

Prevents erosion

Nursery area

Produces nutrients

Fu

nc

tio

ns

Ex

po

rts

Fish and invertebrate larvae

Protection from waves and currents

Carbon and nitrogen

Maturing fish

Organic nutrients

Maturing fish and crustaceans

So why is this important?

The Philippines has rich marine biodiversity with 400 species of corals; 900 species of seaweeds; and 1,400 species of fish and crustaceans

Fish and seafood provide 50% of the animal protein in the Philippines

Over one million Filipinos dependent on fishing for livelihood

Tourism brings in more than P225 billion a year

MANGROVES

Mangroves are adapted for life in brackish (mix of salty and fresh) water. They serve as feeding and nursery grounds, and as a refuge for many fish, birds and other sea creatures.

Man

grov

e A

rea

(Tho

usan

ds o

f H

ecta

res)

4 50 ,0 00 hain 191 8

2 88 ,0 00 hain 19 70

1 40 ,0 00 hain 19 88

1 38 ,0 00 hain 19 93

1 75 ,0 00 hain 19 80 ?

Decline of mangrove resources in the Philippines

Mangroves in Trouble!

SEAGRASS

Seagrass is a marine plant that occurs in shallow, near-shore waters.

They are often found between coral reefs and mangrove areas, living in the soft, sandy/muddy bottom.

Seagrass Seagrass beds are home to a wide variety of

sea creatures that all play an important role in the marine ecosystem

Seagrass beds support at least:– 172 species of fish– 46 species of invertebrate (like clams and

shrimp – 51 species of seaweed– 45 species of algae– 1 species of sea turtle – 1 species of Dugong

Loss of seagrass beds

20% of fish catch supply from seagrass beds!

Loss of seagrass beds is caused by the following:

Land use activities such as reclamation and improper shoreline development (like the construction of structures that disrupt natural water movement)

Use of destructive fishing gear that scours and scrapes the seagrass beds

Sedimentation and siltation from upland areas (usually caused by deforestation)

Pollution from domestic and industrial waste

CORAL REEF

Corals are actually tiny animals called polyps that live in

colonies underwater, either in patches or

reefs.

Philippine coral reefs host: more than 2,000 species

of fish 5,000 species of clams,

snails and other mollusks 488 species of corals 981 species of bottom-

living algae thousands of other marine

organisms

It is estimated that one square kilometer of healthy coral reefs can produce up to 20 tons of fish per year. Destroyed reefs on the other hand only produce less than 4 tons of fish per square kilometer per year.

Requirements for healthy coral reef growth

Ligh t

Som e wave actionLim ited exposure

to air

C lean, c learwater

Coral polyp

No sedim entation

Im m ersionin water

Norm a lsalinity Shallow

water depth

Seawatertem peraturebetween18 and 34 C0

External CaCO skeleton3

Hard substrate

Coral reef degradation

22 .4%

Perc

enta

ge o

f ob

serv

atio

ns

C oral reef condition as percentage of hard coral cover

0-2 4.9% Poor 25 -49 .9 % Fair 5 0-74 .9% Good 75 -10 0% Excellent(85 reefs sampled)

51.7%

(FA IR)

(EXC ELLEN T )

(PO O R)(GO O D)

2.4 %

23 .5%

Status of Philippine coral reefs at 14 localities

(85 reefs samples)

Illegal destructive activities Blast fishing, use of poisons, superlights, muro-ami or fine mesh nets

in fishing Turning mangroves and seagrass habitats into open land or fish

ponds Mining sand and beach mining/quarrying Harvesting banned species including coral, whale sharks, manta

rays, giant clams and endangered marine species Not observing shoreline construction regulations Inappropriate tourism activities/development Pollution of the ocean by

dumping untreated sewage, garbage or industrial waste

Remember these stats?

Rich marine biodiversity with 400 species of corals; 900 species of seaweeds; and 1,400 species of fish and crustaceans

Fish and seafood provide 50% of the animal protein in the Philippines

Over one million Filipinos dependent on fishing for livelihood

Tourism brings in more than P225 billion a year

The fish catch is declining…

U se of fi nemesh net s

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

2 0

196 0195 0 197 0 198 0 199 0 199 8 2 00 0

I nt r oduct ion ofsod ium cyanide anddynamit e fi sh ing

Cat

ch (

Kg/

per

son

/day

)

And fewer fish are being caught

Yea r

Kg

of F

ish

caug

ht fo

r sta

ndar

d un

it of

effo

rt

19 40

45

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

019 50 19 60 19 70 19 80 19 90 20 00

- allows the fisher to use poison, collect almost anything, and to seriously disturb the bottom habitat

Common fishing gear in the Philippines and the potential damage caused by the

gear

Compressor fishing

- destroys the reef and fish habitat along with the fish

Blast fishing

A few things to remember…

• The mangrove, seagrass and coral ecosystems are all interrelated

• The Philippines relies on the ocean for food, livelihood and income from tourism

• These three ecosystems are under threat from illegal fishing, pollution and improper coastal development

Thank

You!