NATIONAL MANGROVE MAP

NATIONAL MANGROVE MAP Why in the world would Indonesia create a National Mangrove Map (NMM) and why in the world is the Philippines not creating its own? The Indonesian NMM was created by their Ministry of the Environment which gives us a clue that it should be our own Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) that should be creating it too. Not that we wish to be known as copycats, but what is wrong with that, if it is for the good of Mother Earth and for the good of the environment? And if you know what good mangrove forests could do, you will be convinced that it is also for the common good, not only for our country, but also for the whole world. If you could take the time to check online about what is going on around the world, you will find out that most countries around us already have one form of mangrove restoration and conservation here and there. In fairness, there are some NGOs that are planting mangroves here and there, but it is not clear what the DENR is doing anywhere. So why does Indonesia even bother to create an NMM? Do they know something that we don’t? Surely, it’s no top secret that mangroves are not only good for disaster risk reduction, it is also good for food production, because mangroves bring back the planktons that attract not only fish, but also crabs and shrimps. To be clear, I am not just talking about planting a few mangrove trees. I am talking about mangrove forests. IKE SENERES/03-20-2024