Future and Solutions

The future of the mangroves in the Philippines is within our responsibility. If we continue allowing the threats to these mangroves the loss of mangroves will continue to drop at a fast rate of 1% per year.



Solutions: 
1. Increase Awareness
  One of the most important steps that may be easily overlooked is increasing awareness. As we have learned, mangroves are beneficial to the Philippines, however some individuals may not be aware of how essential being active on this issue is. By raising awareness through educational and informational campaigns, people are able to organize and create action. Today, there are multiple organizations and communities whose mission is to  promote conservation for animals and habitats.  

For example, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) has been running conservation programs  for over 180 years by holding various forms of workshops, public meetings, and symposiums with wide ranges of individuals, such as government officials, master students, and even young conservationists.  For the mangroves in the Philippines in particular, the ZSL has been empowering local communities since 2007 with the Community-based Mangrove Rehabilitation Project (CMRP) to protect remaining mangrove forests. As a result, close to 100,000 mangroves were planted, with the rehabilitation of 108.8 hectares of mangrove forests underway.

Source: http://www.zsl.org/conservation/regions/asia/rehabilitating-mangroves-in-the-philippines

2. Conservation
After we acknowledge the importance of saving the mangroves in the Philippines, we need to put this knowledge into action. One powerful way of conserving the mangroves is by taking political action. Conservation cannot be achieved without approaching this issue beyond ecological. We must recognize this issue in a social, political, and economical aspect. By integrating efforts between key stakeholders such as: scientists, conservation professionals, community leaders, governments, non-governmental organizations and the business sector, we can transcend this knowledge beyond the institutional boundaries. With collaborative efforts of data and communication, we can influence policy makers to support conservation projects. 

Source: http://www.endangeredspeciesinternational.org/mangrove.html

3. Reforestation
For the mangroves that have already been damaged, a solution is reforestation. One way this has been done is by collecting seeds, which are raised in mangrove nurseries. Then once the seedlings have grown to a height of 30 cm, they are then planted along the coast of the Philippines where they once were. One way to get involved is by joining reforestation projects. 

Some organizations in the Philippines, such as the ADB's Coral Triangle Initiative-Southeast (CTI-SEA) project have supported reforestation by partnering with the local government, schools, and other organizations to get the community involved by planting more trees. 

4. Tourism
Although tourism can be harmful if not done correctly, there are some tours in which you can contribute to planting mangrove saplings. In Palawan there is a community based ecotourism project called The Mangrove Paddle Boat Tour. The tour allows visitors to take a tour of what unharmed mangrove forests looks like. Then by the end of the tour, visitors are able to contribute to conservation by planting saplings in a designated area. Along with this project, there are many other ecotourisms that exists in order to raise awareness. 

Source: http://saggi-space.blogspot.com/2012/03/deeper-into-palawans-mangrove-forest.html

5. Donation
One may feel like they cannot contribute much if they are not resided in this area. However, contributing even a little donation towards some of the organizations mentioned can go a long way. Contributions could go towards the spread of campaigns or even the seedlings to reforest these mangroves. 

Source: https://www.rainforest-rescue.org/donate/150/mangrove-project-philippines