A Case Study in Managing a Mangrove Forest: The University of Batangas' Participation in Mangrove Rehabilitation

A CASE STUDY IN MANAGING A MANGROVE FOREST: THE UNIVERSITY OF BATANGAS' PARTICIPATION IN MANGROVE REHABILITATION

A Masters Project Presented to:

Dr. Teresita Perez

In partial fulfillment of the course requirements of

EM 298

Masters Project

Submitted by:

Raymond Lorenzo P. Arguelles

March 2006

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT 1

I. INTRODUCTION 2

A. Background of the Study 2

B. Statement of the Problem 4

C. Objectives of the Study 5

D. Significance of the Study 6

E. Scope and Limitations of the Study 7

II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 8

III. METHODOLOGY 23

A. Acquiring a copy of the Memorandum of Understanding On Mangrove Rehabilitation Project Implementation 23

B. Implementation of the roles and responsibilities of UB in the Unlad Bakawan Project 23

C. Ocular Inspection of the mangrove area in Brgy.Wawa, Batangas, Batangas 25

D. Observation and Involvement in the Actual Cleanup and Reforestation Activities 25

E. Interviews with Significant Personalities Involved in the Project 25

F. UB Self-Assessment Questionnaire 26

IV. PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION OF DATA AND INFORMATION 27

V. ANALYSIS OF DATA AND RESULTS 37

VI. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 42

VII. RECOMMENDATIONS 43

REFERENCES 44

ABSTRACT

The research paper is a case study about University of Batangas (UB), a private university's involvement in mangrove rehabilitation projects. The paper discusses the importance of mangrove forests as a natural resource as well as the reasons of the University for becoming involved in mangrove rehabilitation projects. The subject of the case study is the Unlad Bakawan project, a mangrove rehabilitation project in Brgy. Wawa, Batangas, Batangas, undertaken by a multi-sectoral group including the local government, the baranggay, the community and an environmental organization, the Batangas Coastal Resources Management Foundation Inc. (BCRMF) in which UB is a member. The researcher would want to determine how a private university with limited resources can contribute to the sustainability of the mangrove rehabilitation project. The researcher used methods such as acquiring documents, and conducting interviews to gather data. The findings reveal that University of Batangas can contribute to the sustainability of the mangrove rehabilitation project through doing well on its assigned roles and responsibilities that were stated in the Memorandum of Understanding, participating in a multi-sectoral effort to reforest the area, and planning its future use, as well as UB's future participation.

I. INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Mangroves are coastal trees or shrubs that have characteristic features that allow them to live in estuarine or saline conditions in marine waters. The most common mangroves in the Philippines are Rhizophora, Avicennia, Bruguiera, Sonneratia and Nypa. Mangroves have many known benefits: environmental, ecological, economic, and source of food products. There has been a steady decline of primary mangrove forests, even secondary forest. This decline continues at an alarming rate. The major causes of mangrove loss in the Philippines are logging and fishpond conversion. Continuous deforestation of mangrove forests would have serious negative implications. The loss of mangrove forests lead to negative impacts such as loss of protection from strong tidal waves during storms, siltation, extinction of valuable species, loss of livelihood, and a threat to food security. Those who would mostly be affected by the negative impacts are the coastal communities that usually are marginalized sectors of the society.

Only recently have mangrove protection and reforestation efforts have been given attention. Different institutions from all over the country are involved in conservation and protection of the remaining mangrove forests, as well as reforestation of the disturbed mangrove areas. These institutions are multi-sectoral which includes the government, non-governmental organizations, local communities and private institutions. One private institution that is involved in mangrove reforestation efforts in the province of Batangas is University of Batangas (UB).

UB, formerly Western Philippine Colleges (WPC), is one of the largest private universities in Batangas province. It was founded on April 28, 1946. UB, is a stock, non-sectarian, private educational institution. UB through the Research and Development Center (RDC) joined the national and regional organizations for the environment. Researches and extension services on environmental science and protection were strongly emphasized. This was how the University became involved in mangrove reforestation projects.

Projects and researches about mangrove have become an important endeavor for UB. First, it is one way of implementing their corporate social responsibility as stated in the school's vision. Second, mangrove rehabilitation is one field where UB shows its commitment to the environment as a participating member of the Batangas Coastal Resources Management Foundation (BCRMF), an environmental organization. Finally, it is one field of study where the UB-RDC can produce research outputs. There is a research gap in the field of mangrove because very few researches have been made about the topic. That is why mangrove conservation and reforestation have not been successful