Progress or Regress: The Price of Convenience at the Cost of Mangroves

Written by Mae Joy A. Clemente, Jomar C. Garcia, Hans Benedict D.S. Pena, Mark Josell G. Dejasco, Maria Isabel L. Pabalan, Hannah Faith Lasquite, Aaron James Ortega, John Castor Aguirre, Zidfre Tayabas, and Christine Nicole Agbayani

(March 31, 2026) – “Every indicator is flashing red”, were the words of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), a specialized unit within the United Nations (UN), after releasing the State of the Global Climate 2025. The Earth is slowly succumbing to the heat, and our oceans, forests, and cities are all struggling to keep up. For the Philippines, devastating typhoons, knee-deep floods, and sizzling temperatures have become a yearly occurrence, with many signs pointing towards a darker future. However, despite all of these warning signs, mangrove greenbelts are still being destroyed for urbanization projects, which leaves us at a crossroads.

How much of our safety are we willing to trade away for meager comforts? Do these short-term conveniences outweigh the long-term consequences? And are these urbanization projects really a step towards progress or a step back to regressive mangrove practices?

How Mangroves Protect Us

Mangrove root systems are complex, with both belowground and aboveground roots that are made to withstand crashing waves and harsh winds. This is especially true of mangrove trees that are nearest to the sea, such as the genera Avicennia sp. and Sonerratia sp., which help stabilize coastal grounds and prevent erosion. The muddy flats and tidal marshes near mangrove trees are far better equipped to absorb rainwater than man-made infrastructure like concrete roads. Additionally, mangrove roots also serve as nurseries for commercially important juvenile fish and invertebrates, making them indispensable to local fisherfolk who depend on these habitats for their livelihood. Mangrove greenbelts don’t just protect us from natural hazards but also from economic collapse. 

A national study conducted by Menéndez et al. (2018) found that mangrove forests help protect 613,500 people every year from excessive floods. The same group of researchers also estimated that mangrove forests annually prevent 1 billion USD worth of property damage from extreme weather events. This effectively debunks the idea that strict enforcement of environmental protection laws is a hindrance to our country’s future. Rather, protecting the natural landscape and the wildlife that inhabit it is one of the only ways we can secure our fates.

Image of Bulakan Mangrove Eco Park © Kit de Gala (2019) 

How We Can Protect Mangroves

One of the best ways we can protect our mangrove forests is not through sharing posts to spread awareness but to capitalize on our best resource: community. Actively participating in and creating coalitions that consistently demand change, to push back against policies that do not listen to the pleas of the most vulnerable around us. The Global Mangrove Alliance Philippines has already had some success in this area. In the 2026 Philippine Mangrove Conference held this March, the assistant director of the DENR Biodiversity Management Bureau expressed a willingness to reevaluate the possible earthballing loopholes in the agency’s latest memorandum. Regardless, there is still an uphill battle ahead as vital ecosystems such as the Bulakan Mangrove Eco Park are in danger of being wiped off the map. The San Miguel Corporation (SMC) is building an airport near the park, endangering not only the local wildlife but also residents in nearby flood-prone barangays. 

This once again begs the question: What truly is the price of convenience? When every mangrove tree has fallen, where will local communities lean on in times of crisis? The solution to these issues cannot be solved by ourselves or even only by local communities, but by all of us working together.