Enhanced Mangrove Ecosystem Protection and Restoration for Growth and Empowerment in Samar Island

Guiuan and Salcedo fall within a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) and are part of the broader Alliance of 7 Eastern Samar municipalities, with Guiuan hosting the Guiuan Marine Protected Landscapes and Seascapes, spanning over 60,000 hectares of critical coastal and marine habitats.

These ecosystems were heavily impacted by Super Typhoon Yolanda (2013), particularly mangrove forests that now require large-scale restoration. They continue to face persistent threats from habitat conversion for aquaculture and infrastructure, illegal mangrove cutting, pollution, and the compounding effects of climate change, such as sea level rise and stronger typhoons. Limited livelihood diversification among coastal communities further drives unsustainable resource use.

Through this project, Forest Foundation Philippines, in partnership with the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, its grantee, seeks to strengthen the conservation and sustainable management of approximately 476 hectares of mangrove ecosystems across Salcedo and Guiuan in Eastern Samar, and Paranas in Samar, and enhance the socio-economic conditions and climate resilience of forest-dependent communities through the establishment and sustainable operation of climate-integrated mangrove ecotourism and mangrove rehabilitation enterprises, and contributing to long-term mangrove conservation and biodiversity protection.