Haribon Foundation

Mangroves and typhoons

| Filipeanut
Del Carmen, Siargao's mangroves are its protectors.
Del Carmen, Siargao’s mangroves are its protectors.

Mangroves are natural barriers against typhoons! Take for example Siargao when Typhoon Odette hit the country in December of 2021.

Siargao was among the first hit by Typhoon Odette, but damage to a community in Del Carmen, Siargao was minimized thanks to… mangroves!

4,000 hectares of coastline is lined with these natural barriers or “sentinels of the sea.” It is part of the Siargao Islands Protected Landscapes and Seascapes or SIPLAS. Eight species of seagrass, representing half of all species found in the Philippines (and Southeast Asia), and 59 species of seaweeds can be found in SIPLAS.

Barangay Bacjao on the left and Barangay Parina on the right, after Typhoon Yolanda.
Barangay Bacjao on the left and Barangay Parina on the right, after Typhoon Yolanda.

In the town of Giporlos, Eastern Samar lies a “tale of two barangays.” Typhoon Yolanda brought storm surges to neighboring Barangays Bacjao and Parina. Despite being named after the local name for mangrove, Brgy. Bacjao sufferred more damage than Brgy. Parina which sufferred less. This was because only Parina had a crucial 9 hectares of mangroves to protect them.

Read more about this “tale of two barangays” on Inquirer.net.

Mangroves are not only protective natural barriers against storm surge and typhoons, they are home to many species including various kinds of fish. They are also home to our own endemic Philippine Duck, as well as mangrove or mud crabs, aka Alimango!

Next time you see a mangrove, be thankful and inquire with the local LGU if you can take a boat tour!

Finally getting this page out there in the world!

| Filipeanut
Rough sketches of some of the Musseromys species, the smallest genus of cloud rats.

From the pages of my sketch book now comes some of the finished products of weeks of research and sketching!

I’ve been drawing and designing IEC materials (information, education, and communication) about Philippine species for the Haribon Foundation for some time now. But even after 5 years of doing so, there is still so much to learn and share about Philippine biodiversity.

So here is the next iteration of my love for creating art about Philippine species, a collection of simple digital illustrations of Philippine biodiversity called “Philippine Wildlife Art”. I illustrated my first piece, the Palawan Pangolin in time for Pangolin Day earlier this year. My next work will now entail covering some of the most fascinating species in the country: Cloud Rats!

Stand by for more of these illustrations to come.

If you believe my work is something that can be of value for others, please do consider supporting me financially via Patreon.com. You can contribute as little as $1 dollar / P55 pesos! Learn more:

https://www.patreon.com/filipeanut