Status of Mangrove Ecosystems in Selected Coastal Municipalities in Zambales, Philippines

Eleven (11) species of true mangroves species were observed in selected study sites of Sta. Cruz, Candelaria, Masinloc and Palauig, Zambales. All the mangrove species belong to Division Tracheophyta and Class Magnoliopsida except for Nypa fruticans which is under Class Liliopsida. The mangrove species are under 8 orders, 9 families and 10 genera. Results revealed that Rhizophora mucronata dominated all study sites. The mangrove ecosystems of the four selected municipalities in Zambales exhibited very low diversity. All the species of mangrove observed were evaluated as Least Concerned (LC) species except for Aegiceras floridum which is in the Near Threatened (NT) category. All the mangroves observed in selected study sites in Zambales were in decreasing population trend except for Nypa fruticans. The condition of the mangrove ecosystems in Palauig is excellent due to the excellent crown cover and regeneration of the mangrove trees and undisturbed condition of the mangrove trees. Furthermore, the mangroves conditions in the municipalities of Sta. Cruz and Masinloc are good while in Candelaria is with fair condition. The sources of environmental degradation that could affect the mangrove ecosystems are sedimentation/siltation, quarrying, dynamite fishing, mine tailings, soil erosion, environmental aesthetic degradation, eutrophication, oil spill, mine drainage pollution, solid wastes and tourism. Keywords : Mangrove ecosystems, Conservation Status, Diversity Index, Importance Value Index, environmental degradation