Aside
from the fact that mangroves are useful coast buffers, they are also critical
habitats to several species of fish and mollusks, providing rich nutrients to a
variety of organisms and an essential producer in the food web.
Looking at the mangrove stretch from afar, the mangroves of Brgy. Biasong Talisay looks astonishing, strikingly similar to the famous Bojo River in Aloguinsan. The mangrove area stretches parallel to the Mananga River which opens to the vast Cebu Strait. However, upon closer look, these mangroves are dumped with loads of trash.
The 170m stretch of mangroves in Brgy. Biasong
Talisay is one of the project sites for CCEF’s Project SMILE, in partnership
with the University of the Visayas. It is a strong prospect for ecotourism and
will be assessed whether this would be a feasible area for future developments.
Although the mangrove area is quite long (169.96m), it is only 20.63m thick, making it relatively thinner than most mangrove strands (as most mangrove areas measure up to at least 100m thick seaward).
In addition, the poor water quality, the large amount of trash and siltation, has made the mangrove area unsuitable for the habitat of marine organisms, and only a few birds have been spotted to make use of the mangroves, with none of them being migratory birds (which is common in most mangrove strands). Simple activities such as gleaning, fishing and swimming might be dangerous to the health as the water may be contaminated by harmful bacteria and diseases.
Help us protect this very important resource by sharing the advocacy of cleaning our coasts. You may send your donations through our website. You may call us now at (632)233-6909 or email us at info@coast.ph and let your company participate in this September’s International Coastal Cleanup!
