MANILA, Philippines — A scientist group called on the government to develop mangrove and beach forests, and seagrass beds, which can help protect coastal communities from hazards.
In a statement Thursday, the Advocates of Science and Technology for the People (AGHAM) urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of the Interior and Local Government to establish coastal greenbelts instead of relocating coastal residents affected by Typhoon Odette (Rai) away from the sea.
According to AGHAM, these ecosystems are natural barriers against storm surge and coastal erosion. Mangrove and beach forests, and seagrass meadows also serve as habitats for commercially important fish and as carbon sinks.
Mangrove forests in Del Carmen, Siargao were able to protect coastal communities from storm surge during the onslaught of 'Odette', OneNews reported.
“This shows that DENR and DILG should exhaust all means to mitigate hazards first, such as developing coastal greenbelts, improving early warning systems and enhancing disaster risk reduction measures up to the local level, before considering totally and permanently uprooting residents from their homes and livelihood,” AGHAM said.
“Development of coastal greenbelts should involve not only planting of mangrove and beach forest species, but also the protection of existing coastal ecosystems,” it added.
Uprooting coastal residents
In a meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte this week, DENR Undersecretary Benny Antiporda said the department and the local government of Siargao have agreed to ban coastal residents from returning to their homes “for their safety.” Qualified tenured migrants will be given parcels of lands in other parts of the island, he added.
The DILG wanted the president to create an inter-agency task force that will evict and relocate residents living along coastal easements, its spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said in an interview with CNN Philippines.
But Duterte said he was against evicting families from “no-build zones” unless relocation sites are identified.
“Should eviction become inevitable, concerned government agencies should find relocation sites where residents could still practice their livelihood,” AGHAM said.
It added: “Strict implementation of no-build zones must also be practiced, wherein former settlements must not be converted to resorts and other commercial establishments, considering that Siargao is an internationally renowned tourist destination.”
Comprehensive climate strategy
Greenpeace Philippines called on the government as well as candidates in next year’s polls to craft a coherent climate strategy beyond disaster response.
“Odette once again showed us that survivors will struggle beyond each typhoon’s onslaught and initial response efforts. They already spent their Christmas with little to no food or water, amid rising prices of commodities, threats of relocation and the spread of diseases—all while preparing for another rainy New Year,” Greenpeace campaigner Virginia Benosa-Llorin said.
“The lack of action to address the climate crisis has left us scrambling to act on its impacts within weeks. We simply cannot play catch-up anymore,” she added.
‘Odette’—the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines in 2021—affected nearly 4.2 million individuals, mostly in Visayas and Mindanao. It killed at least 397 people and left 83 missing.