SDG 14: Life Below Water

Bayug Island in Iligan City was thought to be the first settlement site of the early settlers in the city. Their coastal area was previously vegetated by full-grown mangroves which served as a natural defense for the coastal community from storm surges; these mangroves also filtered natural and man-made solid wastes from getting towards the seawater. Unfortunately, the whole island was devastated during the Typhoon Sendong in 2011, thus damaging its natural mangrove forests.

To address the problem above, the University, in collaboration with the Local Government Unit (LGU) and various organizations in the island, initiated an enhanced mangrove rehabilitation and reforestation project.

Prior to the conduct of the project, the team observed that a lot of the planted mangroves in the area did not survive mainly due to improper planting and zoning of the planted seedlings. Consequently, a site assessment for planting of appropriate Mangrove species for coastal greenbelt was done along with stakeholders’ training for local capacity building, mangrove monitoring and maintenance.

Moreover, the team conducted a “Community awareness and participation”, which paved the way in identifying proper species zonation from seafront to landwards for future outplanting activities. Notably, various volunteers from community stakeholders, NGOs, maritime police and the academe also participated in the coastal clean-up and ‘Pagatpat’ nursery establishment. The science-based approach was effective in conducting Rehabilitation interventions to ensure future mangrove growth and survival.