The Blue CAP provided technical assistance for DA-BFAR’s FishCoRe Project, under the FishCRRM subcomponent’s Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR). It is a World Bank-funded study, conducted through the Marine Environmental Resources Foundation (MERF), that assessed the blue carbon potential of Fisheries Management Areas (FMAs) 6 & 9 of the Philippines.
FMA 6 and FMA 9 are critical regions for the country’s fisheries and mangrove management. Mangrove areas in FMA 6 cover 2,812 ha contributing 1.06% of the country’s total mangrove area. In FMA 9, mangrove forests extend up to 14,694 ha contributing ca. 5.55 % of the country’s total. Data (empirical, remote sensing, bibliometric) gathered over the course of the study show that FMA 6 & 9 have high blue carbon potential although with highly variable total ecosystem carbon stocks (FMA 6: 451.22 Mg C/ha and FMA 9: 635.58 Mg C/ha). By comparison, FMA 9 has relatively more intact mangroves than FMA 6, but FMA 6 has more restorable areas (FMA 6: 2,274 ha; FMA 9: 1,626 ha). These findings underscore that restoration strategies in FMA 6 are critical for rebuilding degraded carbon sinks, while in FMA 9, conservation of intact systems is equally important.
Key findings and recommendations of the study will aid FMA 6 and 9 in identifying or prioritizing areas that can be devoted for “carbon permanence” or avoided deforestation (as protected/conserved mangroves) relative to “carbon additionality” (as restored mangroves). We hope that these lessons will materialize in future policies relevant to blue carbon and will help in preparing the country, especially FMA 6 and 9, in future blue carbon financing pathways.
The Blue CAP members would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to everyone who contributed to the study’s success. Maraming salamat po!
Mangrove Ecology 