A COMMUNITY-BASED MANGROVE REHABILITATION AND ENHANCEMENT IN THE CITY OF MATI, DAVAO ORIENTAL, PHILIPPINES-REGENERATING THE COAST OF PUJADA BAY

Mangrove ecosystems play an integral role in coastal communities. They are crucial in mitigating climate change, supporting coastal ecosystems, and providing habitat for marine fauna, making them both ecologically and economically significant. The Regional Integrated Coastal Resource Management Center XI (RIC-XI) of the Davao Oriental State University, in collaboration with Mama Earth Foundation, Inc., Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), and the local government unit, has spearheaded the Community-based Mangrove Rehabilitation and Enhancement Project in Pujada Bay. This initiative aims to restore mangroves through reforestation while also providing livelihoods for Indigenous people and members of non-governmental organizations like the Women’s Association of the City of Mati. The Mangrove Park, initiated by the Mama Earth Foundation, Inc., is a reforestation project that encourages active community participation in planning and implementing mangrove rehabilitation and development. The project goal is to plant 1,084,000 local species of mangrove present in their sites like Rhizophora stylosa, R. mucronata, R. apiculata, Avicennia marina, A. officinalis, Ceriops tagal, Sonneratia alba, and Bruguiera gymnorrhiza seedlings within coastal barangays of the City of Mati. Approximately 380-400 women participated in the Women’s Association of nine coastal barangays. About 854,500 mangrove seedlings were planted as reported in 2023. Results indicated widespread recognition among the women’s stakeholders and other local people of the social and economic benefits of the reforestation and enhancement of the mangrove park. Keywords: Mangrove Ecosystems, Mangrove Species, Reforestation, Community Participation, Coastal Protection