Coastal greenbelts vs massive flooding

A COASTAL greenbelt is a 100-meter (m) band of mangroves and beach forests along the coast that reduces the intensity of storm surges and strong waves during super typhoons and storms. Mangroves have the capacity to absorb carbon emissions four to five times greater than land forests. The advocates for their replanting claim that they make a formidable line of defense against calamities like the separate massive cases of flooding that have besieged the National Capital Region in recent weeks, starting with Typhoon Carina in July.

One such advocate, Gloria Estenzo Ramos, Oceana's vice president in the Philippines, has been lobbying for the passage of the National Coastal Greenbelt Bill, which mandated a 100-m wide band of protective coastal vegetation based on scientific conclusions that it would absorb up to 60 percent of wave energy from storms and reduce loss of lives and damage to property. The bill has been incorporated in the Integrated Coastal Management Bill passed by the Lower House and is due for approval by the Senate.