A COMPREHENSIVE survey of over 300 mangrove studies across the Philippines and the rest of Southeast Asia (SEA) has found large gaps in our understanding of the current and future state of these already dwindling natural resources, according to scientists from the University of the Philippines-Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS).

The Philippines is the second worst country in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in terms of mangrove losses: it suffered a 10.5 percent decline between 1990 and 2010, according to independent studies included in the survey. It is surpassed only by Myanmar, which suffered a 27.6 percent loss between 2000 and 2014.

The findings are a stark wake-up call, given the international declaration of the years 2021 to 2030 as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, aimed at preventing, stopping, and reversing the degradation of ecosystems worldwide.

With the countdown well underway, the comprehensive survey undertaken by UP Ph.D. Biology student Maria Elisa Gerona-Daga and Institute of Biology Associate Professor Dr. Severino Salmo 3rd of existing mangrove restoration research helps identify ways to achieve the SEA region's restoration targets and safeguard their biodiversity.

The pioneering study is the first of its kind in SEA. Titled 'A systematic review of mangrove restoration studies in Southeast Asia: Challenges and opportunities for the United Nation's Decade on Ecosystem Restoration,' it provides a systematic and quantitative synthesis of 335 mangrove restoration studies in the region that were published before February 2022.

Five priority topics were suggested by the study: restoration areas and methods; mangrove restoration in climate change adaptation and mitigation programs; monitoring recoveries of biodiversity and ecosystem services; policies, governance, and community engagement; and strengthening of the Asean network.