With the advantage of modern drone shots of islands and islets in the Philippines and the information provided by Pagasa transmitted to people through social media, Filipinos have come to the realization that many of our local government units are indeed located less than a kilometer or two from coastlines. As such, the first that comes to mind is the vaunted value of mangrove forests for coastal protection. This was proven true by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami originating from an earthquake in the sea off Sumatra which devastated 12 countries, including Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka. Immediately, Ramsar Center Japan's 4th Asean Wetland Symposium recommended, among others, to "prioritize the natural coastal defenses through greenbelt/coastal 'bioshield' development." In that connection, Asean countries agreed to provide concerted national efforts to integrate impacts of natural disasters in coastal areas.

Tolentino, A. Jr. (2023, July 15). Mangroves for coastal protection. The Manila Times, p. A4.