Mangroves

DENR Sounds Alarm on Cutting of Oil-Soaked Mangroves in Guimaras
The regional Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) sounded the alarm for the proper treatment of oil-smeared mangroves after “an unidentified clean up force” was seen cutting the roots and branches of mangroves in two villages of Nueva Valencia. The cutting of the mangrove roots and branches “is harmful to the mangrove trees because it will open to further infection and will affect salt balance that will ultimately cause the death of mangroves,” said Julian D. Amador, DENR regional executive director.

A DENR statement quoted the DENR Mangrove Survey Team that reported an unidentified clean up force cutting the prop roots of several mangrove species in the coastal villages of Lucmayan and Cabalagnan this week in heaviest hit Nueva Valencia town.

Petron Corp. that contracted MT Solar 1 to ferry 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel oil from its refinery in Bataan to Zamboanga has hired more than 1,000 residents who are paid P300 a day for clean up operations.

The prop roots contain the lenticels which are the breathing organs of the Bakauan (Rhizophora) species. The pneumatrophores , cylindrical root-like protrusions on the ground which are the breathing organs of the Avicennia species such as bungalon (Avicennia marina), api-api (Avicennia officinales) piapi (Avicennia lanata) and others, were also cut, said the DENR. “Mangrove branches covered with oil were also cut,” said the DENR statement.

Mangroves protect sea grass beds and coral reefs from sedimentation and the intricate prop roots of bakauan and the pneumatrophores (“breathing organs”) of bungalon and pagatpat help retard sedimentation that can suffocate the sea grass and corals, said Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia or PEMSEA. "Fish use the spaces under the mass of prop roots of mangrove trees as 'delivery rooms,' and the offspring of many marine species spend their growing period in the mangrove swamps before moving on to the open,” said the Laguna-based Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development (PCAMRD).

The Regional Disaster Coordinating Council said that bunker fuel oil from MT Solar 1 has destroyed or heavily damaged the environment and marine life including sea grass (12 hectares), corals (30 ha), coastline (220 km), coral reef (15.8 sq km), mangroves (431.5 ha), seaweeds (58 ha) and fishponds (823.5 ha).
Amador appealed to the Guimaras provincial government, the Philippine Coast Guard, and Petron Corp. to assist the DENR in disseminating measures in the clean up operations inside the mangrove areas.

The measures which the DENR outlined are the following:

(1) Clean up should only include the collection of debris coated with oil found floating within mangrove stands or stranded/accumulated waste materials along the shore. (2) Avoid the cutting of any parts of mangrove trees. (3) People cleaning the mangrove areas should be careful not to trample the mangroves’ roots system. (4) Remove blockage of debris or any other waste within mangrove stands to provide adequate tidal exchange. (5) The use of any kind of dispersants, bioremediation and implementation of other clean up measures should be cleared with DENR or local authorities. (6) Amador further said that should any group need supervision in the cleaning of mangrove areas, it may coordinate with DENR personnel so that the office will re-deploy technical personnel to provide the necessary technical assistance.

Mangroves are home to 68 species of fish including bangus or milkfish and mullet, 54 species of crustaceans (shrimps, prawns, and crabs), and 56 species of gastropods like snails, whelks, and slugs.

Panay News, by Hazel P. Villa