Villar welcomes Palace order on mangrove forests

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Cynthia Villar has welcomed the directive of President Aquino to put up more mangrove forests in coastal areas all over the country as a natural barrier against deadly storm surges.

In a statement, Villar said the planting of mangrove trees will be part of a comprehensive program of environmental protection being prepared as a reaction to the devastation brought about by Super Typhoon Yolanda.

“The inclusion of no-build zones in coastal areas in this program is a step in the right direction. I also suggest that this program includes a moratorium on reclamation because reclaiming lands could lead to the destruction of natural marine barriers like mangroves,” Villar said, as she welcomed the signing of an executive order delegating to the National Economic Development Authority the approval of any reclamation project.

Villar also asked the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to not only concentrate on areas hardest hit by Yolanda-spawned storm surges but also on other coastal areas.

“Our action should now be definite because these storm surges, as experts tell us, are not new. We hear of records dating as far back as 1897 where 7,000 lives were lost, and in 1912 where some 15,000 died in the Visayas due to typhoon and tidal waves. The experts also tell us that storm surges will be more frequent because of climate change,” she added.

In coastal cleanups initiated by the senator, planting of mangrove trees was incorporated because of its many benefits in preventing soil erosion and in providing nurseries for marine life.

According to a 2012 study conducted by the University of Cambridge, mangroves “slow the flow of water as the surge moves inland and reduce the waves riding on top of the surge, lowering water levels and reducing damage behind the mangroves.”

Villar also urged the government to implement the National Greening Program under Executive Order 26, which mandates the planting of 1.5 billion trees on 1.5 million hectares of land, including mangrove reforestation.