Linking humans with blue carbon ecosystems
Social vulnerabilities of coastal communities and their reliance on blue carbon ecosystem services may be improved by addressing three major factors. A new study’s findings suggest opportunities for conservation interventions in the Philippines.
By: T. E. Angela L. Quiros, Ph.D.
Ecosystem services (ES) are benefits nature provides to humans. In coastal areas, seagrass meadows and mangroves provide key ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration and climate mitigation. The carbon sequestered in coastal and marine vegetated ecosystems is known as blue carbon, and the ecosystems are usually referred to as blue carbon ecosystems. Unfortunately, blue carbon ecosystems are being lost at a high rate in Southeast Asia. This is unfortunate because local communities living on the coast heavily rely on seagrasses and mangroves for provisioning services such as livelihoods and food security.
Mangroves in Busuanga Island, Palawan Province, Philippines, part of the blue carbon ecosystems in Barangay Quezon.
(Photo: T. E. Angela L. Quiros).
Left: Researchers from Japan appraising mangroves in Barangay New Busuanga
(Photo: T. E. Angela L. Quiros).
Right: Mixed species seagrass meadow
(Photo: T. E. Angela L. Quiros).
Hokkaido University researchers Dr. Masahiro Nakaoka and Dr. Angela Quiros fly a drone in Barangay New Busuanga with the help of C3 Philippines staff Roverose Chiptao and Muammar Princess Soniega, and Ocam Ocam fisherman, Adrian Mahinay.
An interdisciplinary team from Japan and the Philippines examined the complex relationship humans have with blue carbon ecosystems. T.E. Angela Quiros and Professor Masahiro Nakaoka of the Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere at Hokkaido University’s Akkeshi Marine Station collaborated with a team from the University of the Philippines Dilliman including research assistants Annabelle Go, Joy Jamilla and Mikko Garcia, along with the conservation NGO C3 Philippines including Reynante Ramilo, Muammar Princess Soniega, Helbert Garay and Roverose Chiptao, and numerous volunteers, local community members and the local governments of Busuanga and Coron.
Vulnerability analyses can help evaluate coastal communities’ reliance on blue carbon ecosystems while examining risk to those ecosystems.
(From figure 1.--- T. E. Angela L. Quiros, et al. Blue Carbon Ecosystem Services Through a Vulnerability Lens: Opportunities to Reduce Social Vulnerability in Fishing Communities. Frontiers in Marine Sciences. August 3, 2021. )
Their work examined how ten fishing communities in Busuanga Island, Palawan Province, Philippines responded to the loss or degradation of blue carbon ecosystems, namely seagrasses and mangroves. They assessed the ES provision for small-scale fisheries in seagrass and mangroves in multiple ways: ecological assessments of seagrass beds, spatial analysis of seagrass and mangroves along the coast, fisher landing surveys, household and key informant interviews to map social vulnerability in 3 parts: (1) Exposure, or threats to the blue carbon ecosystems, (2) Sensitivity, or the local importance of blue carbon ecosystems, and (3) Adaptive Capacity, assets available to avoid impacts in the future from the loss of blue carbon ecosystems.
Left: Volunteer Zeus Ramos doing seagrass surveys with community members Wilfred Salvacion from Salvacion and Jun Esplana from Concepcion
Right: Masahiro Nakaoka of Hokkaido University, Rommel Llanillo, BFARMC Chairperson, Barangay Quezon and Muammar Princess Soniega, C3 Philippines, assessing seagrass abundance and species diversity in front of the mangrove forests of Barangay Quezon, Busuanga, during the study (Photo: T. E. Angela L. Quiros).
Findings
The team found healthy blue carbon ecosystems measured by high coverage along the coast, low patchiness and high connectivity with adjacent seagrass, mangroves and coral reefs. These provided valuable provisioning services in Busuanga.
Seagrass ecosystems and their fisheries were more vulnerable than mangrove ecosystems and fisheries due to lower amount of catch from seagrasses versus mangroves. Certain seagrass meadows and mangrove forest types were more sensitive due to less coverage along the coastline and lower species number, while others had decreased adaptive capacity due to having species with slower growth and physical isolation from other seagrass and mangroves.
Socio-economic sensitivity increased in communities with greater reliance on fisheries and tourism income. Communities with low adaptive capacity had few alternatives to fishing, fishers with low education levels and high average fishing experience.
Urbanized (Barangay 5, Tagumpay) were more vulnerable than rural communities (Borac, Quezon, Turda) due to degraded blue carbon ecosystems, greater population density and threats from tourism and development.
Across all communities, adaptive capacity was constrained by the lack of education, but increased with diversified livelihoods and access to information and organization from NGOs and community organizations.
The ideal coastal community would have low (A) Exposure, low (B) Sensitivity and high (C) Adaptive Capacity.
(From figure 3.--- T. E. Angela L. Quiros, et al. Blue Carbon Ecosystem Services Through a Vulnerability Lens: Opportunities to Reduce Social Vulnerability in Fishing Communities. Frontiers in Marine Sciences. August 3, 2021. )
“Our findings show the need to improve access to education, increase NGO activities and organization around blue carbon ecosystems, and initiate equitable fisheries management for the vulnerable seagrass and mangrove fisheries” – T. E. Angela L. Quiros.
Original Article:
T. E. Angela L. Quiros, et al. Blue Carbon Ecosystem Services Through a Vulnerability Lens: Opportunities to Reduce Social Vulnerability in Fishing Communities. Frontiers in Marine Sciences. August 3, 2021. DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2021.671753
Funding:
This study was funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) under the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS) Program.
Contact:
T. E. Angela L. Quiros
Akkeshi Marine Station
Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere
Hokkaido University
Email: angelalquiros@gmail.com