QUEZON CITY, Philippines (Mar 2026) — The Philippines has been talking about saving its mangroves for over a decade. This week, representatives from government, science, communities, and the private sector sat down to figure out why so many of those conversations never turned into action — and to make sure this time is different.
The Philippine Mangrove Conference 2026 ran from March 24 to 26 at Microtel Technohub in Quezon City, convened by the Global Mangrove Alliance Philippines and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Biodiversity Management Bureau. The conference closed with six sectors making concrete, time-bound pledges to be completed by 2028.
The country once had roughly 500,000 hectares of mangrove cover. Logging, aquaculture expansion, and coastal development cut that down sharply. Satellite data shows a partial recovery, from about 240,824 hectares in 2010 to approximately 311,400 hectares by 2020, but the gap between what was lost and what has been restored remains significant.
“Protecting mangroves has become a development priority for a country as vulnerable to climate impacts as the Philippines,” said Dr. Annadel Cabanban, Country Manager of Wetlands International Philippines and Lead Convenor of the Global Mangrove Alliance Philippines. “Aligning interventions across government, communities, scientific institutions, and the private sector with the country’s climate commitments is essential to restore these ecosystems at scale.”
Two landmark documents launched
The conference produced two outputs that give the conservation push a stronger institutional foundation.
The National Blue Carbon Action Partnership Roadmap 2026 to 2030 was formally turned over from ZSL Philippines to DENR, placing the country’s blue carbon agenda under full government stewardship for the first time. Alongside it, the Blue Carbon Quantification Protocol was launched as the Philippines’ first science-based carbon accounting framework, co-developed by Filipino scientists with DENR and conservation partners.
The National State of the Coasts 2025 Report was also released, estimating the ocean economy at $15 billion (approx. PHP 870 billion), representing 3.8% of GDP in 2024. The report flagged a concerning figure: only 1.42% of Philippine sea area is currently under Marine Protected Areas.
What the six sectors committed to
People’s organizations pledged to restore and protect local mangrove areas through sustainable livelihoods including eco-tourism, nursery production, beekeeping, and fish processing. Academia committed to establishing provincial mangrove data hubs and a national blue carbon research agenda. Government agencies are developing a unified ocean governance framework that integrates mangrove ecosystems and science-based coastal management.
The private sector pledged to publish integrated mangrove aquaculture protocols and restore 100 hectares of mangroves through community cohorts. Local governments committed to expanding coastal greenbelt ordinances and embedding blue carbon governance into local resource management plans. Civil society will work to establish new Local Conservation Areas, advance the National Coastal Greenbelt Bill, and secure financing for a Global Mangrove Alliance Philippines Secretariat.
All commitments will be tracked in future national platforms.
Why communities are the key variable
In Negros Occidental, where 25 of 32 local government units are coastal, mangrove restoration is already embedded in local policy and tied directly to community outcomes like improved fish catch, livelihoods, and ecotourism. The province was cited as a model for how conservation translates into tangible gains for the people living alongside these ecosystems.
Imelda Mazo, President of the Shalom Women’s Biodiversity Conservation Association in Coron, Palawan, framed the work simply: “Conservation is a long-term commitment, like raising a child. It is never simple. Nature-based solutions are, at their core, about science, and we in the community have come to believe that deeply.”
“The tools we have built together must now reach the communities and local governments who manage these resources,” said Edwina Garchitorena, Lead for ZSL Philippines. “We call on all partners to sustain this momentum and invest in solutions that work for both people and nature.”
