Love for Mother Natures: Students from Bacolod plant mangroves to save the environment
Marian
Students from Riverside College and Colegio de San Agustin showed their love for Mother Nature through a mangrove planting in Pta. Taytay, Bacolod City. They were joined by the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Youth Association (PRRYA), Negros Youth for Environment (NYE) and Climb-up Outdoor Shop.
Pta. Taytay village head Rufino Alcala and Cris Andas briefed the students about the necessary safety measures and the proper way of planting mangrove seedlings. They added the importance of mangroves in our environment.
Junjun Mojica of Climb- up Outdoor Shop and the head-coordinator of the activity has a passion for the environment and he wants it for everyone.
He invited Marian Ledesma, SG President of Riverside College , John Paul Alvarez and Leandro dela Torre SG President and Vice President respectively of Colegio de San Agustin, and the three of them tagged 44 willing participants from their schools.
Bacolod Students
The event was successful and hopefully more youth will participate in this kind of advocacy. Let us give what we could offer to Mother Nature.
Facts About Mangroves
According to Jessica Hayes-Conroy in her article in Serendip, "in addition to benefiting the natural ecosystems of the surrounding area, mangroves are extremely important to human communities as well. Traditionally, they have been sustainably used for food production, medicines, fuel wood, and construction materials. Many indigenous coastal residents rely on mangroves to sustain their traditional cultures. In this way, the mangroves' ability to act as habitat to many possible food sources, as well as it's ability to remain stable while growing tall and strong, are very important to human communities as well."
Alvin
She cited that mangrove forests also act as a buffer zone between the open ocean and the land. This not only protects the shores from damage, but also its many inhabitants-including humans. Mangroves protect the coastal land areas from life threatening erosion and siltation problems, preventing a great deal of property damage and sometimes even human death.
"Finally, the mangroves' ability to treat effluent, discussed above, is also very important for the local communities. Most of the substances that the mangroves treat are human made. Thus, the mangroves are acting as a filter system for the local communities, keeping their ocean waters free of pollution and thus their fish and other food sources free of contaminants."
Preparing what to plant
"All of these "eco-services" that the mangroves provide, free of charge to the local communities, have a tremendous economic value for all who are dependent on them. Unfortunately, although the hardy mangroves have withstood fierce storms and heavy winds for thousands of years, they are now being devastated by human business and industry."