BONGSANGLAY MANGROVE NATURAL PARK/BATUAN MASBATE

Описание: Bongsanglay Mangrove Natural Park is one of the country’s remaining old-growth mangrove forests and the only remaining primary-growth mangrove forests in the whole Region V that needs to be protected. 23 out of the 30-40 species of mangrove species in the Philippines can be naturally located in the protected area (PA). Its mangrove forest has the rare distinction of having all the three species of the mangrove family Sonneratiaceae --- pagatpat, (Sonneratia alba), pedada (S. caseolaris), and pagatpat-baye (S. ovata), which is said to be the rarest of the three Sonneratia species. Recognizing its distinct and unique biohpysical features, Bongsanglay was also included in the Directory of Costal Resources Management (CRM) Learning Destinations in the Philippines compiled under the CRM project of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) due to its very distinct features and importance. BongsanglayMangrove is characterized by unique species of mangrove trees and shrubs that fringe the intertidal zone along with sheltered coastal, estuarine and riverine areas. These characteristics also play an essential role in the defense of the coastal zone, their role in carbon sequestration, and the increased risks posed by the predicted rise in sea level. The biodiversity of the park supports numerous important wetland communities of plants and animals. So to say that this biodiversity also provides food sources and essential benefits to the socio-cultural activities of the communities of Batuan, Masbate.