Caraga coastal habitat recuperates after STY Odette
By Mariesh F. CeledeΓ±a
“To speed up the recovery, we established five marine protected area networks (MPAN) that are crucial for the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources,” said Maritess M. Ocampo, OIC regional executive director of DENR Caraga, ensuring rigorous habitat assessment and monitoring to sustain the ecosystem services of the coastal and marine ecosystems.
DENR Caraga is also conducting water quality monitoring to 68 sampling stations in the entire region.
Four out of the five provinces of Caraga region have coastlines that span up to 2,271 kilometers supporting diverse ecosystems crucial for marine life. With Mangrove forests covering 27,268 hectares, coral reefs stretch over 37,193 hectares, and seagrass stretch over 27,768 hectares, all these formed a vital habitat and breeding grounds for various fish species and other marine life.
These vast marine habitats have become a source of food and livelihood of the Caraganons.
STY Odette hit Caraga region in 2021. It affected not just the local communities but also the habitat of various fish species and other marine life. (MFC/PIA-Caraga)
