Description
Touted as a long-term solution to flooding of Mandaue City, establishment of a mangrove eco-park has begun, having received funding from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) (Ref. 1). Through establishment of mangroves, the eco-park will "perform a significant role in shoreline protection, acting as a buffer against strong winds and waves", which is considered particularly important in light of the anticipated effects of climate change (Ref. 6). A total 17-hectare plot is to be rehabilitated, as identified in the Mandaue City Government's Comprehensive Land Use Plan (Ref. 3). At present, it is unclear whether nature-based solutions (including mangrove restoration) are to be implemented across the entire 17ha of the site, but initial efforts have been focused on the restoration of a 5-ha section of mangrove forest (Ref. 2). Due to the lack of data on how exactly the remainder of the 17-ha area will be restored, the total NBS area for this project has only been recorded as 5-ha (5000m2) within this case study, rather than the entire 17,000m2 which is encompassed within the site. The site is situated at the outfall of the Butuanon River which frequently overtops as a result of heavy rain and has been considered "biologically dead" since 1992 (Ref. 7). The site itself comprises a former dumpsite which had been "left derelict and filled with piles of trash", hence in addition to reducing flood risk, its rehabilitation will serve as green space in which "the residents of Mandaue City [can] gather and enjoy a breath of fresh air" (Ref. 2). The eco-park is considered to bring the added benefit of filtering water as it enters the Mactan Channel, in addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through carbon dioxide absorption (Refs. 1 & 6).
Focus
Coastal landscape management or protection, Ecological restoration of ecosystems, Transformation of previously derelict areas, Knowledge creation and awareness raising
Project objectives
The project falls under the "government’s public open space development program launched in 2017 by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM)" which seeks to assist local government units in "making their communities more livable, sustainable, and well-connected through the development or enhancement of public open space by creating esplanades, parks, arboretum, or botanical gardens, and building bike lanes, walkways, and green infrastructure" (Ref. 6). Development of the Mandaue Eco-Park focuses on reforestation, and also aims to provide green space for tourists and more than 300,000 residents of Mandaue City (Refs. 2 & 6). The intervention seeks to provide flood protection, filtering to improve water quality (Refs. 1, 3 & 7) and is also intended to help in a wider plan to revive and rehabilitate the adjacent Butuanon River which is the city's largest waterway and has been considered "biologically dead" since 1992 (Ref. 7).
Implementation activities
The project began with the rehabilitation of a former dumpsite covering an area of 2000m2 (Ref. 2). After "levelling off the mountains of trash before covering the ground with healthy soil...the replacement soil was planted with seeds of different plants and trees" and the area is now reportedly "thriving with...verdant grasses and trees (Ref. 2). Reforestation with mangroves over an area of 5000m2 is intended to filter water, protect adjacent areas from flooding associated with climate change by providing shoreline protection which acts as a "buffer against strong winds and waves", and help in absorption of greenhouse gas emissions (Ref. 1 & 6). In addition to the planting of mangroves, new facilities will be implemented in the area, including an assembly area, bamboo boardwalk, and a viewing deck, with the idea that these facilities will not only increase the site's capacity to accommodate more visitors, but also "create more opportunities for people to appreciate the value of the mangroves" (Ref. 5). The project will also see installation of "bird blinds, a receiving area, a nursery and aquasilviculture [site as well as] integration of aquaculture within mangroves (Refs. 1, 3 & 7)
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