More than half of the country’s beach and mangrove forests have been lost to deforestation due to harvesting for wood and charcoal production, conversion to fishpond for aquaculture use, and the unbridled development in coastal areas that include dump-and-fill activities. To halt and reverse this rapid rate of mangrove loss, Philippine-based environmental groups launched on Tuesday the Philippines Chapter of the Global Mangrove Alliance (GMA), a global alliance dedicated to the restoration of mangroves. Often referred to as “fish factories” for their ability to facilitate the reproduction of fish and other seafood, mangroves are also considered life-saving ecosystems because of the natural defense system they provide to communities against storm surges and tsunamis.

Mayuga, J. L. (2023, September 13). Groups launch alliance to halt, reverse mangrove forest loss. Business Mirror, p. A13.