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Philippines’ Mangrove Ecosystem: Status, Threats and Conservation

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Mangrove Ecosystems of Asia

Abstract

The Philippines has very rich biodiversity in terms of number and percentage. It is regarded as one of 17 mega biodiversity countries due to its geographical isolation, diverse habitats and high rates of endemism. It ranks fifth globally in terms of the number of plant species and maintains 5 % of the world’s flora. In mangroves alone, the country holds at least 50 % mangrove species of the world’s approximately 65 species. However, due to anthropogenic activities as well as natural disturbances, the country continues to lose its rich biodiversity resources including mangroves. This chapter revisits the status of Philippines’ mangroves, its current and future threats and analyzes the mechanisms on how various stakeholders put efforts to address those threats. We found out that while a number of successful conservation and restoration efforts have been made, there are still clear gaps on how different stakeholders can turn their commitments and initiatives into actions to conserve and rehabilitate Philippines’ mangrove for human well-being and sustainable development.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. World Agroforestry Centre-Philippines, International Rice Research Institute, 2nd Fl., Khush Hall Bldg., Los Baños, 4031, Philippines

    Kristine B. Garcia

  2. College of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Kanluran Rd, Los Baños, 4031, Philippines

    Pastor L. Malabrigo Jr. & Dixon T. Gevaña

Authors
  1. Kristine B. Garcia
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  2. Pastor L. Malabrigo Jr.
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  3. Dixon T. Gevaña
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kristine B. Garcia .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia

    I. Faridah-Hanum

  2. Fakulti Sains & Teknologi, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Banji, Malaysia

    A. Latiff

  3. Forestry, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia

    Khalid Rehman Hakeem

  4. Ege University, Izmer, Turkey

    Munir Ozturk

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Garcia, K., Malabrigo, P., Gevaña, D. (2014). Philippines’ Mangrove Ecosystem: Status, Threats and Conservation. In: Faridah-Hanum, I., Latiff, A., Hakeem, K., Ozturk, M. (eds) Mangrove Ecosystems of Asia. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8582-7_5

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