MANGROVE ECOSYSTEM

Mangroves
• dicotyledonous woody plants
that grow in the interface
between land and sea in
tropics and sub-tropics
latitude
• are halophytes (salt-tolerant)
• mangrove - individual plant
species
• mangal – forest community
• mangrove forest sometimes
called tidal forest, coastal
woodlands, oceanic rain forest

Mangroves
Mangrove-
associated
microbes, flora
& fauna
Mangal
Mangrove
microhabitat
Biological
microhabitat
Abiotic Factors
Figure 1. Physical and biological components of mangrove ecosystem

Species Composition (Tomlinson 1986)
• 54 species of true mangroves ( 34
major & 20 minor) worldwide
• 60 species of mangrove associates
• Philippines harbors around 40
species belonging to 14 families.

True mangroves
(features)
• occurs exclusively in mangal
• halophytes
• play a major role in the structure of the mangrove
community
• have the ability to form pure stands
• have the morphological specialization (aerial roots,
& specialized mechanism for gas exchange)
• physiological mechanism for salt exclusion or
excretion
• have viviparous production

True mangroves
• Major mangroves
✓ capable of forming pure stands
• Minor mangroves
✓ denoted by their inability to form a
conspicuous element of the
mangrove vegetation

Mangrove associates (features)
• comprise a large number of species
typically occurring on the landward
margin of the mangal, and often in the
non-mangal habitats such as rainforest,
salt marsh, or lowland freshwater
swamps

Mangrove associates (features)
• Has a certain degree of salt tolerance
(glycophytes)
• salinity tolerant plant species (Terminalia,
Hibiscus, Thespesia, Ficus, Calophyllum,
Casuarina, some legumes and milk weeds
(Aslepiadaceae and Apocynaceae).

Global Distribution

▪ Occurring in 112 countries and
territories
▪ Distribution is greatly affected with
temperature and moisture
▪ Large-scale currents may also influence
distributions by preventing propagules
from reaching some areas

Mangrove in the Philippines
• holds at least 50% (Primavera et al.
2004) of the world’s approximately 65
mangrove species (Kathiresan and
Bingham 2001)
• considered as one of the top 15 most
mangrove-rich countries in the world
according to Long and Giri (2011)

Mangrove in the Philippines
• mature mangrove areas do not exceed
20,000 ha, of which approximately two-
thirds are in Palawan.
• consequently, around 80,000 ha of
mangroves left in the country were
declared as wilderness and forest
reserves in 1981, including all the 40,000
ha of pristine mangroves in Palawan
(Primavera 2002).

Highest diversity (Primavera 2004)
Location No. of sp. Publication
Bohol 26 Mapalo 1992
Pagbilao Bay in Quezon
Province
24 Bravo 1996
Aurora Province 23 Anon 1996
Ibajay in Aklan Province 22 Primavera 2001
Puerto Galera, Mindoro
and San Remegio, Cebu
18 Baconguis et.al.,
n.d., Buot 1994

Adaptability Mechanism
1. Adaptation to water logged soils
2. Coping of salts
3. Costs of survival
4. Reproductive adaptation

Adaptation to Waterlogged Soils
Formation of aerial roots

Measuring of anaerobic state
✓redox potential (redox being a
telescoping of reduction and oxidation)
✓can be tested by use of a platinum
electrode probe, which senses the redox
state of the surrounding soil
✓redox scale is in millivolts
✓a well-oxygenated soil will have a redox
potential above 300 mV

Coping with Salt
• The principal mechanisms are
exclusion of salt by the root or in
their leaves
• tolerance of high tissue salt
concentrations, and elimination of
excess salt by secretion.

Mechanism of coping with salt

The cost of survival
• Mangroves therefore cope with the
environmental stresses of salt and
water logging, but at the expense of
growth, leaf area, and photosynthesis.
• In extreme conditions, growth may be
so restricted that dwarfing occurs

The cost of survival
• Species found at particularly high
salinities do not occur at high levels of
waterlogging, and vice versa.
• These limits to distribution are narrower
than the extremes that the species could
actually survive: the actual distributions
reflect interspecific competition as well
as physiological tolerance.

Reproductive Adaptation
1. Pollination
- wind pollinated
- vector pollinated
2. Propagules
- vivipary
* hormone abscisic acid (ABA)
* hypocotyl or enlarged cotyledons

Approaches to Mangrove
Ecosystem Assessment
• Primary productivity of plant communities is
correlated with
– leaf area index
• Leaf area index can be converted to net canopy
photosynthesis
– leaf area index x average rate of
photosynthesis per unit leaf area
• Useful indicator of environmental stress
– leaf shedding and leaf growth are usually
sensitive to environmental factors

Continue,,,,,
Remote sensing
- using LANDSAT
imagery determined
the mangrove forest of
Leyte to cover 2,576.5
ha.
- listed Carigara to have
large and contiguous
mangrove cover

Continue,,,,,
Ground Truth Surveys:
• Transect quadrat method
– quantitatively describe the community structure
and plant biomass of the mangrove forest
– Permanent plots are established along the
transect through the mangrove forest types or
zones
– permanent plots are suited for long-term
monitoring of changes in community structure
– Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) can be used to
calculate above ground biomass.
http://www.oneocean.org/download/db_files/pcra_training_guide.pdf

Ecological Features and Zonation

Seaward zone
• daily flooded by tidal inundation including
neap tides
• Species found in here are termed
“frontliners” and are generally true
mangroves
• Soil type ranges from sandy loam, mudflat
or coralline
–sandy coralline: Sonneratia (pagatpat)

• Sandy loam: Rhizophora mucronata (bakauan-
babae), Aegiceras corniculatum (saging-saging)
and A. floridum (tinduk-tindukan)
• sandy loam to clayey mudflats: Comptostemom
philippinensis (gapas-gapas)

Middle zone
• flooded during normal high tide
• soil is generally clayey, silty to silty clay
• species that usually inhabit here include:
Avicennia alba (piapi) A. officinalis (apiapi), A.
corniculatum (saging-saging), A. floridum
(tinduk-tindukan), Bruguiera sexagula
(pototan), Ceriops (tangal), Excoecaria
agallocha (buta-buta), Xylocarpus (tabigi),
• Lumnitzera racemosa (kulasi), Scyphiphora
hydropllacea (Nilad) and Nypa (nipa)

Landward zone
• back portion of the mangrove swamps
• usually remains unaffected by tidal movements
over a long period of time except during
exceptional high tides called “spring tides”
• soil is generally clay to silty clay
• vegetation is highly diverse due to presence of
vines, epiphytes and mangrove associates in
addition to Avicennia (api-api and piapi),
Bruguiera (pototan), Excoecaria (buta-buta),
Scyphiphora (nilad) and Nipa

Riverine
• portions along or bordering the rivers
• at river mouths: Avicennia (bungalon, api-api),
Aegiceras (saging-saging and tinduk-tindukan),
Rhizophora (Bakauan-babae, bakauan-lalake
and bakauan-bangkaw),
• along river banks going inland (soil generally
clayey): Avicennia, Aegiceras, Bruguiera,
Excoecaria, Scyphiphora, and Xylocarpus

Importance of Mangroves

Regulatory Functions
1. Coastal Protection
2. Erosion control
3. Sediment
stabilization
4. Flood regulation
5. Nutrient supply
and regeneration
6. Treatment of
dissolved and
particulate waste
7. Wildlife habitats

Complex root system trap
sediment and help build
land mass as well as protect
shore lines from erosion

Ecological Importance
– Habitat, nursery and feeding ground of various
animals
– Above tide forest: formed by trunks and leaf
canopy
• inhabited by birds, bats, lizards, tree snakes,
snails, land crabs and mangrove crabs
(keystone species) spiders, insects (most
most diverse and abundant)
• 5% of leaf production here by terrestrial
grazers, the rest enter the aquatic systems
as debris and becoming available for marine
detrivores, either fish or invertebrates

– Intertidal swamp
• offers a variety of different substrates and
different microhabitats to support a more diverse
community of marine species
• organisms attach to mangrove roots , others in or
on mudflats or mudbanks
• barnacles and oysters are common epifauna on
roots with the latter often the dominant
contributor to community biomass
• Nematode, periwinkles,polychaete worms, sea
cucumbers, fiddler crabs, amphipods, shrimps,
mudskippers and other fish species are also
common

• leaf fall is a major source of nutrients and energy in the
intertidal swamp
– subtidal zone
• high organic content
• subtidal mangrove roots support a rich epifauna and
epiflora of algae, sponges, tunicates, anemones, hydroids
and bryozoans
• turtle grass (Thalassia) may be dominant benthic plant
that stabilize mud bottom
• burrowing animals (crabs, shrimps, worms) are common
and their burrows facilitate oxygen penetration into the
mud and ameliorate anoxic conditions
• fish, crabs, lobsters and shrimp form basis for local
fisheries

Small Mammals Shore Birds
40 species had been
recorded since 1991
Little egret
Greenback heron
(mangrove heron)
Kentish plover
Mongolian plover
Gray tailed tattler
Whimbrel
Philippine mallard
Rufous night heron
White collared
kingfisher
Reptiles
Crocodylus porosus in Leyte
Habitat

Marine Mammals
• found along mangrove-lined
waterways
– bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops
truncatus)
– manatees (Trichechus manatus)
• Dolphins feed on fishes associated
with mangrove systems
• Manatees are frequently observed in
waters close in proximity to
mangroves
• As an herbivore, they feeds on
seagrasses and other submerged
aquatic plants found outside
mangroves

• freshwater species of turtles
• associated with mangrove vegetation during at least some
point in their life histories are sea turtles
– The loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green sea turtle
(Chelonia mydas)
– The green sea turtle and Hawksbill sea turtles
(Eretmochelys imbricata)
– The Atlantic ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) is
commonly observed in south Florida.
Other species
• giant toad (Bufo marinus)
• squirrel treefrog (Hyla squirella)
• cuban treefrog (Osteopilus septentrionalis)
Amphibians

– Bivalves
• Saccostrea – well
studied since
commercially
important oyster
– arachnids,
mosquitoes, ants
are easily noted
http://www.rawfish.com.au/images/-tassie-oyster-pacific-oyster-tasmania-aphrodisiac1.JPG
Invertebrates

Nerita
• Vertical zonation of fauna
• upper branches occupied
by true marine species
• lower substrate other
organisms that can adapt
to changing water level,
salinity and etc.
http://park.org/Guests/Shells/Shell_Catalogue/Shell_Images/Nerita_polita_variations.jpg
Gastropods

Economic Importance
– a wide variety of marine organisms are
harvested for food and income by
coastal residents
– Mangrove trees provide direct
economic benefit
• (table 1)

Species Wood Part Flower/Fruits/Seeds/Ro
ots/Resin/Sap/Leaves
Acanthus
ebracteatus
(Tigbau)
Leaf juice applied to
scalp to preserve hair
A.
corniculatum
(saging-
saging)
Good for firewood and
charcoal
A. alba (Piapi) Good for firewood, rice
mortar and small cabinet
work, bark used as
astringent
Resinous substance can
be tapped and used for
birth control purposes,
ointment from seeds is
useful for relieving pox
ulceration
A. marina
(bungalon)
Good for firewood, rice
mortar and small cabinet
work, ash from wood is
used in soap making
Flowers are source of
pollen and strong
flavored supporting bee
colonies
Table 1. Mangrove utilization by species and part of plant (Central Visayas
Techno Guide)

Bruguiera
gymnorrhiza (busain)
and B. sexangula
(pototan)
Good for firewood, charcoal,
sleepers, house posts,
furniture, bark source of tannin
(tanning agent, dye stuff)
Fruit can be
eaten
B. parviflora (langarai) Good for firewood and
charcoal, substitute for
petroleum coke used in the
manufacture of calcium carbide
and ferro-alloys which in turn
are utilized in various chemical,
plastic and metal industries
Ceriops tagal (tangal) Good for firewood, charcoal,
house posts, poles, bark is
used for tannin and used for
batik and mat-making, also
yield plywood adhesives

Rhizophora
mucronata
(bakauan-babae)
Good for firewood,
charcoal, furniture, bark
source of tannin, prop
roots are used as
mosquito repellent (in
Indonesia)
Fruits are scraped and eaten in
the Philippines, light wine is
fermented from fruits, honey is
produced from nectar
Sonneratia
caseolaris
(pagatpat)
Firewood, charcoal,
furniture, bridge and
wharf building etc, bark
source of tannin
Air roots used as net floats,
manufacture of inner soles for
shoes and substitute for cork or
pitch, sap is applied to skin as
cosmetic
Nypa (nipa) Young seeds are eaten raw or
made into sweetmeats, sap
source of vinegar, sugar and
wine, leaves made into nipa
shingles for roofing

Mangroves and their ecological and
economic benefits
Juveniles for
aquaculture
Nursery
ground
Habitat for birds, bees, monkeys,
and other wildlife
Microbial decomposers and herbivores
Leaf litter/Detritus
Protection from storm
wave and erosion
Traps sediments and
stabilizes coastal areas
Detritus
M
o
l
l
u
s
k
s
Detritivores
Supports food chain
away from mangrove areas
Small carnivores
Commercial and
subsistencfisheries
Large carnivores
Benefits to humans:
• Clean water
• Fish, shells,
mollusks, etc.
• Medicines
• Tannins
• Wood (fuel and
construction)
• Honey
• Alcohol
• Shore protection
• Research data
• Education
• Recreation/tourism
• Biodiversity

Causes of Mangrove Loss
1. Aquaculture development
- leading cause of mangrove
loss
2. Conversion to agriculture
- As mangrove areas are rich
in organic soils, they are prime
locations for conversion into
agricultural land, especially rice
paddies and palm oil plantations to
sustain the growing need for food
3. Urbanization, Industry and
Settlement
4. Cutting of timber, fuel and charcoal

0
100000
200000
300000
400000
500000
1918 1970 1989 1995
Philippine mangrove cover (hectares)
through the years (DENR 1995).
Degradation rate of 6685 ha yr-1 in
1950-1972 for fishpond conversion

Status of the Philippine Mangrove
Forest
• Mangrove forest in the Philippines has
diminished steadily due to overharvesting
• Mangrove had been regarded as “worthless”
that can only be made productive if developed
to aquaculture
• such “worthless” concept” has led to wholesale
destruction of the ecosystem
• Original mangrove forest=500 000 ha (1920)
• left is 100 000 ha (1996)

Mangroves in trouble
Mangrove
Area
(Thousands
of
Hectares)
450,000 ha
in 1918
288,000 ha
in 1970
140,000 ha
in 1988
138,000 ha
in 1993
175,000 ha
in 1980
?
Decline of mangrove
resources in the Philippines

Conservation and Rehabilitation Efforts
• Strengthening the information, education and
communication program for the protection and
conservation of mangrove areas
• Proper awareness
• Involvement of the community
• include mangrove in municipal utilization
zoning
• reforestation/mangrove transplantation

Photos from:
Primavera JH,Sadaba RS, Lebata MJHL,Altamirano JP.2004. HandbookofMangrovesin thePhilippines- Panay.SEAFDEC/AQDand UNESCO,unlessspecified otherwise.
Copyright © 2009 JHPrimavera and RDB Dianala
Mangrove species in this field guide are
sorted by genera. Closeup photographs
of distinctive features (leaves, flowers,
fruits, bark, roots) areprovided for visual
comparison to facilitate identification of
species.
J
. H. Primavera, Ph. D.

Awareness of mangrove importance, particularly for coastal
protection, has grown among the general public over the past
several years. In turn, this has led to numerous planting
initiatives by various groups. However, most of these programs did
not yield positive results mainly due to lack of science- guided
protocols, particularly on what species to grow under certain
conditions.
This field guide is an attempt towards broader awareness and
appreciation of the common mangroves found in the
Philippines. It is based on the original material, “Field Guide to
Philippine Mangroves,” developed with support from the Pew
F
ellows Program in Marine Conservation and S
E
A
F
DE
C
PREFACE
Aquaculture Department, and published by
of London-Philippines.
Seeing the vitality of this field guide, Phili
Conservation Foundation, Inc. (PTFCF)
Philippines and Foundation for Communicat
repackaging this field guide for distrib
individuals keen on mangrove rehabilit
the “Community-based Mangrove Rehabilita
and posters, this hopes to increase pro
mangrove rehabilitation efforts, particularly
Typhoon Y
olanda, the most destructive typh
modern history.

4
FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Acanthus
Acanth
us
FAMILY
ACANTHACEAE
Acanthus
Local names: lagiwliw,ragoyroy
Acanthus
volubilis
Acanthus
ilicifolius
Acanthus
ebracteatus

Acrostichum aureum
Local name: palaypay
5
Acrostichu
m
FAMILY
PTERIDACEAE
FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Acrostichum
Acrostichum
speciosum
Local name: palaypay
Tips of leaves blunt
Tips of leaves elongated
to pointed

FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Aegiceras
Aegicer
as
FAMILY
MYRSINACEAE
Aegiceras corniculatum
Local names: saging-saging, tinduk-tindukan Fruits curved
6

FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Aegiceras
Aegicer
asFAMILY
MYRSINACEAE
Fruits straight
Aegiceras floridum
Local names: saging-saging, tinduk-tindukan
7

FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Avicennia
Avicenni
a
FAMILY
AVICENNIACEAE
Avicennia alba
Local names: bungalon, apiapi, miapi
8

FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Avicennia
Avicenni
a
FAMILY
AVICENNIACEAE
Avicennia marina
Local names: bungalon, apiapi, miapi
9

FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Avicennia
Avicenni
a
FAMILY
AVICENNIACEAE
Avicennia officinalis
Local names: bungalon, apiapi, miapi
10

FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Avicennia
Avicenni
a
FAMILY
AVICENNIACEAE
Avicennia rumphiana
Local names: bungalon, apiapi, miapi
Hairy, brownish leaf
undersurface, hairy fruit
11

BrownlowiaFAMILY
TILIACEAE FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Brownlowia
Brownlowia tersa
Local name: maragomon
12

Bruguie
ra
FAMILY
RHIZOPHORACEAE
FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Bruguiera
Bruguiera cylindrica
Local names: pototan, busain
13

Bruguie
ra
FAMILY
RHIZOPHORACEAE FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Bruguiera
Bruguiera gymnorrhiza
Local names: pototan, busain
14

Bruguie
ra
FAMILY
RHIZOPHORACEAE
FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Bruguiera
Bruguiera parviflora
Local name: langarai
15

Bruguie
ra
FAMILY
RHIZOPHORACEAE FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Bruguiera
Bruguiera sexangula
Local name: pototan
16

Camptostemon philippinensis
Local name: gapas-gapas
Camptostemon
philippinensis
FAMILY
BOMBACACEAE
FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Camptostemon philippinensis
17

Ceriops decandra
Local name: baras-baras
Cerio
ps
FAMILY
RHIZOPHORACEAE FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Ceriops
18

Cerio
ps
FAMILY
RHIZOPHORACEAE
FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Ceriops
Ceriops tagal
Local names: tungog, tangal
19

Excoecaria
agallocha
FAMILY
EUPHORBIACEAE
Excoecaria agallocha
Local names: lipata, buta-buta
FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Excoecaria agallocha
Male flowers
Fruits
Leaves with milky sap
Female flowers
20

Heritiera littoralis
Local name: dungon
Heritiera
littoralis
FAMILY
STERCULIACEAE
FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Heritiera littoralis
Leaves with light
undersurface
Photo by: M. J.H. Lebata
21

Kandelia
candel
FAMILY
RHIZOPHORACEAE FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Kandelia candel
Kandelia candel
Found only in Baler and Casiguran Bay, Aurora
Photo by: N. Duke
Photo by: W
. G. Licuanan
Photo by:
W
. G. Licuanan
22

Lumnitze
ra
FAMILY
COMBRETACEAE
FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Lumnitzera
Lumnitzera littorea
Local names: tabao, culasi
23

Lumnitze
ra
FAMILY
COMBRETACEAE FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Lumnitzera
Lumnitzera racemosa
Local names: tabao, culasi
24

Nypa
fruticans
FAMILY
ARECACEAE
FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Nypa fruticans
Nypa fruticans
Local names: nipa, sasa
25

Osbornia
octodonta
FAMILY
MYRTACEAE FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Osbornia octodonta
Osbornia octodonta
Local names: tawalis, bunot-bunot
26

Pemphis
acidulaFAMILY
L
YTHRACEAE
FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Pemphis acidula
Pemphis acidula
Local name: bantigi
27

Rhizopho
ra
FAMILY
RHIZOPHORACEAE FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Rhizophora
Rhizophora apiculata
Local name: bakhaw lalaki
28

Rhizopho
ra
FAMILY
RHIZOPHORACEAE
FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Rhizophora
Rhizophora mucronata
Local name: bakhaw babae
29

Rhizopho
ra
FAMILY
RHIZOPHORACEAE FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Rhizophora
Rhizophora stylosa
Local name: bakhaw bato
30

Scyphiphora hydrophyllacea
Local name: nilad
Scyphiphora
hydrophyllacea
FAMILY
RUBIACEAE
FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Scyphiphora hydrophyllacea
31

Sonneratia alba
Local name: pagatpat
Sonnerat
ia
FAMILY
SONNERATIACEAE FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Sonneratia
32

Sonneratia caseolaris
Local name: pedada
Sonnerat
ia
FAMILY
SONNERATIACEAE
FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Sonneratia
33

Sonneratia ovata
Local name: pedada
Sonnerat
ia
FAMILY
SONNERATIACEAE FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Sonneratia
34

Xylocarp
us
FAMILY
MELIACEAE
FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Xylocarpus
Xylocarpus granatum
Local name: tabigi
35

Xylocarp
us
FAMILY
MELIACEAE FIELD GUIDE T
O PHILIPPINE MANGROVES / Xylocarpus
Xylocarpus moluccensis
Local name: piag-ao
36

PTFCF’s FOREST AND COMMUNITY REHABILITATION PROGRAM
On November 8, 2013, Super Typhoon Yolanda (International name: Haiyan) hit the Philippines. It was the strongest and
most destructive typhoon the country has experienced in recent history. It destroyed infrastructure, human habitations
and livelihoods. T
odate, government authorities continue to validate the total death toll.
Super Typhoon Yolanda also left various ecosystems, such as mangrove and beach forests damaged.
In response to calls for support towards ecosystems rehabilitation, the Philippine Tropical Forest Conservation
Foundation, Inc. (PTFCF) implemented its Forest and Community Rehabilitation Program. This program aspires to support
efforts in the Yolanda-affected provinces of Capiz, Iloilo, Leyte, Eastern Samar and Northern Palawan by providing grants
and technical assistance to people’s organizations (POs) and non-government organizations (NGOs) for ecosystems
assessment, capacity building, actual forest protection and rehabilitation activities, and advocacy campaigns, among
others.
It was observed from assessments and field visits after Yolanda that many organizations are taking part in mangrove
rehabilitation. The unfortunate truth however, is that some of these projects were against the natural growth and
survival of mangroves. This prompted the PTFCF to partner with Zoological Society of London (ZSL)-Philippines and
Foundation for Communication Initiatives, Inc. (FOCI) to implement a strategic communications project that aspires to
disseminate the right information to the right people through proper knowledge management. Part of the project is this
updated and enhanced Field Guide to Philippine Mangroves by J.H. Primavera, PhD.
This field guide is based on the original material, “Field Guide to Philippine Mangroves,” developed with support from the
Pew Fellows Program in Marine Conservation and SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department, and published by the Zoological
Society of London.
This field guide, together with Community-based Mangrove Rehabilitation Training Manual and posters will be
distributed in Capiz, Iloilo, Eastern Samar, Northern Palawan, and other Yolanda-affected areas.

The Philippine Tropical Forest Conservation Foundation, Inc. (PTFCF)
was established under two bilateral agreements between the
governments of the United States of America and the Republic of the
Philippines under the U.S. Tropical Forest Conservation Act (TFCA).
PTFC
F works towards biologically diverse Philippine forests that
are sustainably managed and equitably accessible to responsible
stakeholders by working with non-governmental organizations
and community groups in forest protection, natural resource
management, capacity building, research, livelihood support, coastal
forest resource management, as well as sustainable use of diverse
animals and plants.
From 2005 to 2014, PTFC
F was able to support 383 projects, which
effectively improved the management of approximately 1.5 million
hectares of forest lands, restored approximately 4,200 hectares of
forests through the re-introduction of appropriate native tree species,
established over 40 community conserved areas in key biodiversity
areas and critical watersheds, instituted over 60 community-level
sustainable enterprises that provide additional income to community
members, and increased awareness of forest conservation issues
particularly the ecosystem services provided by the forests.
2/F Valderrama Building, 107 Esteban Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City 1223
Phone: +63 2 891-0595; email: admin@ptfcf.org; website: www.ptfcf.org
THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON
TheZoological Society of London (ZSL), a charity foundedin 1826, is
a world-renowned centre of excellence for conservation science
and applied conservation. ZSL’s mission is to promote and achieve
the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. This is
realized by carrying out field conservation and research in over 50
countries across the globe and through education and awareness
at our two zoos, ZS
LLondon Zoo and ZS
LWhipsnade Zoo, inspiring
people to take conservation action. We strive to achieve our
mission by:
• Conducting world-leading conservation science
• Implementing effective field conservation projects globally
• Providing decision-makers with the best possible
conservation advice, and
• Building conservation capacity and inspiring people to
connect with the natural world.
The Country Manager, Zoological Society of London-Philippines
48 Burgos St. LaP
az, 5000 Iloilo City
Phone: +63 33 330-0929
website: www.zsl.org