Authors

Jeanette J. Samson

Author

Ermelinda G. Tobias

Co-author

Institute of Fisheries Research and Development, Mindanao State University at Naawan, Naawan, Misamis Oriental, Philippines
Department of Biological Sciences, Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology, Iligan City, Philippines

*Corresponding author: [email protected]

ABSTRACT

An assessment of the plant community structure of mangroves in Naawan, Misamis Oriental was conducted to evaluate its status and potential for vegetative expansion. The survey was carried out in three coastal barangays, namely: Linangkayan, Poblacion, and Maputi using a transect-plot survey technique. Results show that the mangrove stands of Naawan are already degraded due to fishpond development, human settlement and other resource-use activities. A highly diverse mangrove vegetation still exists with 30 species identified belonging to 22 families. At least 11 species are true mangroves while the rest are associates. The dominant mangrove species are Nypa fruticans (Nipa), Avicennia rumphiana (Miyapi), and Lumnitzera racemosa (Kulasi). N. fruticans dominates in terms of stem density while A. rumphiana largely contributes to the total basal area (13.7 m2 ha-1) of measured woody plants. The Naawan mangroves have low regenerative capacity in terms of production of saplings and seedlings except for L. racemosa and A. rumphiana, thus, planting is needed to rehabilitate them. Three sites were identified with a potential area of 5.2 ha for vegetation expansion through multispecies reforestation.