The last mangrove forest in Metro Manila, Philippines

The Las Pinas-Paranaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA) is considered as the last mangrove forest in Metro Manila, Philippines. A thirty-minute drive from the capital city Manila brings you to this avian sanctuary, which is now in danger from the large reclamation projects happening in the area. According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), LPPCHEA records 8 species of mangroves, almost 70 species of water birds and more than 50 species of migratory birds in its 175 hectare strip.

In December 2011, SeaLifeBase Research Assistant Jeniffer Espedido participated in a workshop led by the DENR-Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (DENR-PAWB). The workshop included a macrobenthic survey of the invertebrates in LPPCHEA. The main resource person, Dr. Benjamin Vallejo of the University of the Philippines Diliman, noted its peculiar ecology. Numerous mollusks, crustaceans and annelids were collected, and an abundance of fish and birds were observed. It seems that despite the "sea"of garbage, marine organisms are struggling to survive; somehow giving a sliver of hope that maybe degraded ecosystems, such as this, still has a chance and that this small patch of wildlife is worth saving.

    

Check out the short documentary about LPPCHEA below (source: Devential).

   

Written by:

Jeniffer Espedido

Research Assistant

The SeaLifeBase Project