This specter could displace tens of thousands of fisherfolk unless measures are undertaken to preserve them, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) warned.
Regidor de Leon, DENR regional executive director, issued the warning as national government agencies, local government units and the private sector commemorated the Month of the Oceans with the theme "The Philippines: One vast sea of opportunities."
Even as the different sectors agreed to immediately map out joint programs for the protection of Central Luzon’s mangroves, De Leon said, "The remaining mangrove forests protect our shorelines from strong winds and waves during typhoons, and serve as important spawning grounds and nurseries for fish, crabs, shrimps and other marine life."
He said Central Luzon has four coastal provinces — Bulacan, Bataan, Zambales and Aurora — which have a total of 336 coastal barangays with a combined coastline of about 800 kilometers.
"Thousands of marginal and commercial fishermen and their families in these areas rely on marine resources for their livelihood," he said.
De Leon cited studies indicating that nationwide, mangrove areas have been drastically reduced from about 450,000 hectares in the early 1900s to only about 112,000 hectares today.
These areas spawn an average of more than half a ton of fish per hectare annually, he said.
Remigio Atabay, DENR deputy director for research, said population growth adversely affects the existence of mangrove areas.
He said the commemoration of the Month of the Oceans "provides an effective avenue for establishing meaningful private-public sector partnership and for firming up action plans for the substantial management of our marine resources."
DENR records show that Central Luzon’s biggest concentration of mangrove forests is in Aurora with 223 hectares, followed by Pampanga with 215 hectares, and Zambales with 157 hectares.
De Leon said the country has some 27,000 square kilometers of coastal waters and about 200 million hectares of territorial waters teeming with marine life.
Its coastal zone stretches to more than 17,000 kilometers, the world’s fifth longest, providing livelihood to about 70 percent of municipalities nationwide.
He also cited studies showing that the Philippine ecosystem is home to 2,000 species of fish, 5,000 species of snails, clams and other mollusks, 488 species of corals, 22 species of endangered marine mammals, six out of eight species of marine turtles, and at least 22 species of marine vegetation such as algae, seagrasses and seaweeds.
De Leon said the country’s coral reefs are considered the "most biologically productive environment," second only to tropical forests, with a production potential of more than 1.3 million metric tons of fish annually.