Vegetation Analysis, Assessments of Blue Carbon and Stakeholders’ Mangrove Awareness and Understanding (MAU) in Calatagan, Batangas: A Basis for a Proposed Model for Mangrove Conservation

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

The continuous conversion of mangrove ecosystem to coastal development into aquaculture area, land conversion to the residential and commercial area have a tremendous impact in the release of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This event is one of the primary causes of worsening the impact of climate change. The roles of mangrove forests to sequester substantial amounts of "blue carbon" and store in its biomass and sediments considered as "super carbon storage" can make a significant change. The importance of the mangrove ecosystem was neglected and overlooked for hundreds of years resulted in drastically decreased in mangrove areas all over the world. This study assessed the vegetation and carbon stock of mangroves on five coastal barangays in Calatagan, namely: Bagong Silang, Balibago, Carretunan, Quilitisan, and Sta. Ana.

METHODS

This study made use of the descriptive comparative method of research, transect plot technique and reconnaissance survey, allometric equation of determining total biomass and carbon stock, and ANOVA for the mangrove awareness.

RESULTS

The study revealed that Avicennia marina occupied the greatest number of species in Bagong Silang, Carretunan, Quilitisan, and Balibago with Importance Value Index of 84.49%, 51.70%, 97.53%, and 112.81% respectively. The MPA of Sta. Ana has the highest aboveground biomass with 113357.21 kg, belowground biomass with 43485.56 kg, and total biomass of 156842.76 kg. In terms of organic carbon storage, the MPA of Bagong Silang has the highest carbon stock of 12557.60 t/ha. Bagong Silang also has the highest COâ‚‚ equivalent of 46086.41 t/ha. Diversity indexes of Bagong Silang (1.6864) Balibago (2.1891), Carretunan (2.2062), Quilitisan (1.2404) and Sta. An, (1.2408). Carretunan has the highest diversity index. The study found out that the students compare to parents and teachers has the lowest awareness in terms of ecological, economic, and social aspects of mangroves. Using ANOVA, a p-value of 2.015 x 10-16 means that there is a significant difference in the awareness of the respondents. This result rejected the hypothesis.

DISCUSSIONS

Overall, it revealed that all the sites have shallow species. The researcher concluded that there was a significant difference in the mangrove vegetation and carbon stock in the five sampling sites. Species diversity shows that there a significant difference in the sampling sites. The researcher proposes that ecological conservation for sustainable development should be developed.