MANILA, Philippines – Science experts and environmental groups this week called out airline Cathay Pacific for planting mangroves on an existing seagrass bed in Carcar, Cebu.
In a November 12 Facebook post, the airline posted photos of a recent mangrove planting activity as part of its “1 Ticket, 1 Tree and 1 Tonne, 1 Tree Initiative.”
According to the post, over 60 volunteers, including Cathay employees and their partners, helped plant 5,000 mangrove seedlings in Carcar — “one tree for every flight ticket sold and every tonne of cargo shipped with Cathay Cargo during the campaign.”
The post, however, drew criticism for “mangrove misplanting,” with Mangrove Matters PH — a group of young Filipino mangrove advocates — penning an open letter to the airline to raise its concerns.
“As seen in your recent post, mangrove seedlings were planted in seagrass meadows — an ecosystem critical for marine biodiversity. Seagrasses are habitats and nursery grounds to wildlife and commercially important marine species for food security. Furthermore, seagrasses sequester huge amounts of atmospheric carbon for climate change mitigation, resulting in increased climate resilience,” the group said in the post.
“However, introducing mangroves into seagrass ecosystems can disrupt their ecological function as mangroves may dominate, leading to seagrass decline.”
Matthew Vincent Tabilog, founder of Mangrove Matters PH, said seagrass meadows are sources of livelihood and food for the country’s coastal communities.
Marine scientist and mangrove expert Jurgenne Primavera called planting mangroves on seagrass beds “an ecological scandal.”
“[It] is an ecological scandal for three reasons: first, seagrass beds form an ecosystem by themselves —their inhabitants, like dugongs, sea turtles, seahorses, rabbitfish or danggit, and others, will disappear if replaced by mangroves. It is wrong to rob seagrasses to pay the mangroves,” Primavera, the chief mangrove scientific advisor of the Zoological Society of London, said.
She added: “Secondly, with sea level rise coming surely (whether at a fast rate or slowly), coastal seawater levels will grow deeper, making the habitat suitable for subtidal plants like seagrasses. Intertidal trees, like mangroves, will drown because they need the tidal ebb and flow, with 70% of the time emerging above the water to survive.”
“Lastly, the planted bakhaw or the Rhizophora species of mangroves may either die within a year because they are the wrong species in the wrong place. Or they may survive until they reach 20 years or more when they become tall enough to be felled or cut down by a typhoon as strong as Yolanda. Bakhaw that are broken or damaged will die because they have no apical meristem or tissues responsible for regenerating new leaves and branches.”
‘Science-based approach’
Meanwhile, marine conservation group Oceana Philippines said mangrove species should be “correctly selected and planted in the right coastal zones” for any mangrove reforestation to be successful, and to maintain the overall health of coastal and marine environments.
In a statement on Saturday, November 16, Oceana vice president Gloria Estenzo Ramos called on Cathay Pacific and the Carcar local government to work together on a “science-based” approach to mangrove reforestation. She also urged local governments to strictly adhere to existing guidelines on mangrove planting and to establish coastal greenbelts.
“These are policies that will ensure the education of key players and gatekeepers on the effective and strong management of mangroves and seagrass to prevent reclamation and other destructive projects threatening our coasts,” Oceana added.
After the backlash, Cathay Pacific came out with a statement and posted it as a comment on the original post past 4 pm Friday, November 15.
“We hear your concerns and, like you, want to learn more and do better. Earlier today, we reached out to Mangrove Matters PH to discuss how we can address these concerns collaboratively,” the airline said, adding that it would be consulting the group for its future planting efforts and organizing learning sessions for the Cathay Pacific team.
“We remain committed to our mission of preserving our mangrove forests. We want to keep this conversation going and look forward to working with Mangrove Matters and other stakeholders to further this important cause together,” the airline added. – Rappler.com
Erwin Mascariñas is a freelance writer, photojournalist, and videographer based in Butuan City. He is also an Aries Rufo Journalism Fellow of Rappler for 2024.