Planting A Path to Climate Resilience
How a local leader in the Philippines uses mangroves to protect her community
In the early morning, Edna “Beth” Sarmiento, sets off with her grandsons on a pump boat to check on the mangrove seedlings she and her community planted six months ago. It’s low tide, when seashells and seagrass stick out of the muddy shores around the Philippine island of San Salvador, and the ideal time for her to collect fallen seedlings to replant in the village nursery.
Local fishers like Beth rely on mangroves — with their deep, intricate roots to naturally filter and clean the water, provide a safe haven for marine life, and offer protection from storms and erosion. As extreme weather, like typhoons and flooding, increases, the mangroves have become increasingly vital.
When Typhoon Ulysses hit Masinloc-Oyon Bay in November 2020, the mangrove trees transformed into coastal sentinels against storm surges.
“Many houses were destroyed in areas without mangroves. But in our community, the mangroves protected us from strong waves,” Beth recalls.
Beth has seen the climate crisis reshape her home.
“In the years that I was here in San Salvador, I noticed that the days became hotter,” she said. “Water levels from the ocean rose, and rain and typhoons became stronger.”
Despite their importance, a 2021 study by USAID found that mangroves in Masinloc were being cut down to make way for fishponds and dikes, and new seedlings were getting killed by discarded nets and plastic sacks. In the Philippines, mangroves have long been under threat, with half of the country’s mangrove areas destroyed between 1918 to 2010.
The Philippines considers San Salvador island and its surroundings to be a key biodiversity area. It is one of four protected areas in the country where USAID works with the community and local government to improve fishery, coastal, and marine management.
“We tried several times before to protect the mangroves,” Beth said. “We had training and planted seedlings, but many of these died.”
From 2000 to 2021, Beth and her community planted 50,000 seedlings, but only 30% survived. A host of factors were to blame: species unsuitable to the area were planted, some washed away, and garbage suffocated others. Moreover, the community lacked the skills and financial resources to monitor the growth of the trees.
In 2022, USAID helped Beth and the San Salvador Biodiversity Friendly Association she heads apply for and secure an $8,800 (Php 500,000) grant from the Agency’s long-time partner Forest Foundation Philippines. That year, USAID also trained the group on identifying suitable mangrove species for the area, planting techniques, and nursery management.
With USAID support and Beth’s guidance, the association collected seedlings from the shores, transferred them into nursery bags, watched over them as they matured, then planted them along the coast. The group continuously checked to make sure the seedlings hadn’t washed away and picked up trash wrapped around the growing trees to maximize growth.
Just one year after the training, they had successfully planted 15,000 seedlings, with an 80% survival rate. The trees covered 1.5 hectares of land in San Salvador Island — an area equivalent to almost three football fields.
Today, the site is teeming with sturdy saplings that are able to withstand strong waves and storm surges. These sea-tolerant trees have another benefit to the environment.
Beth explained: “In our training, I learned that mangroves absorb carbon from the atmosphere.” Mangroves can stow four times more carbon than tropical forests.
These mangroves sustain the community above and below water.
“This is where we get fish, seashells, and crabs to eat or sell in the market,” she said, picking up seedlings that had fallen off the mangrove trees.
The mangrove roots and muddy sand beneath create shelters for fish, mollusks, and crustaceans. When tides are low, birds come down to feed.
Beth and her association continue to manage the mangroves with support from a community savings and credit association USAID helped establish there. The savings group primarily teaches financial literacy, but also funds conservation efforts and has begun to partner with schools to do coastal cleanups and tree planting.
“I hope that when the seedlings we planted have grown, it becomes an inspiration for the youth and other communities to protect mangroves,” Beth said.
As she makes her way back to the boat, her grandsons reach out for the mangrove seedlings in her hand, excited to plant them in small nursery bags back home.
About the Author
Wulmar Cerio is a Communications Officer for USAID’s Sustainable Interventions for Biodiversity, Oceans, and Landscapes Project (SIBOL).
