Philippines has about 7100 islands with 3 major islands, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao and has about 18,000 km of shorelines with vast areas of mangrove ecosystem. Government policies, which dictated development in both the uplands and coastal areas, have been based mainly on abundant available resources without due consideration for sustainability. The study was conducted for the purpose to identify mangroves diversity and assessment in selected area along Butuan Bay, Agusan del Norte, particularly in the coastal line of Butuan City, Magallanes and Buenavista. Random sampling was used and had a total number of 9 stations having three (3) 10 × 10 meters’ quadrat each area. Results revealed a total of 12 species of mangroves within the areas along Butuan Bay. Family Avicenniaceae and Rhizoporaceae dominated the area. Avicennia alba and Rhizopora mucronata dominated in all sampling stations. Eleven (11) species were recorded to be Least Concern and only one species was considered Vulnerable (Avicennia rumphiana). Among the species, Acanthus ebracteatus was the most dominant species followed by palm mangrove Nypa fruticans. Based on the results, mangrove areas in the selected area along Butuan Bay fall under the category of very low biodiversity with a value of 1.79. This means that all selected areas experienced very high disturbances from anthropogenic activity.
Cite this paper
Goloran, A. B. , Laurence, C. , Glenn, B. and Tricia, M. A. (2020). Species Composition, Diversity and Habitat Assessment of Mangroves in the Selected Area along Butuan Bay, Agusan Del Norte, Philippines. Open Access Library Journal, 7, e6249. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1106249.
Benfield, S. (2002) An Assessment of Mangrove Cover and Forest Structure in Punta Mala Bay, Panama City, Panama by Means of Field Survey and GIS Analysis of Aerial Photographs. Master’s Degree, Department of Civil and Offshore Engineering/School of Life Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Godoy, M.D. and de Lacerda, L.D. (2015) Mangroves Response to Climate Change: A Review of Recent Findings on Mangrove Extension and Distribution. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciencias, 87, 651-667.
https://doi.org/10.1590/0001-3765201520150055
Nagelkerken, I. (2009) Evaluation of Nursery Functions of Mangroves and Sea Grass Beds for Tropical Decapods and Reef Fishes: Pattern and Underlying Mechanisms. Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Faculty of Science, Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2406-0_10
Bandaranayake, W.M. (1998) Traditional and Medicinal Uses of Mangroves. Mangroves and Salt Marshes, 2, 133-148. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009988607044
Walters, B.B. (2005) Patterns of Local Wood Use and Cutting of Philippine Mangrove Forests. Economic Botany, 59, 66-76.
https://doi.org/10.1663/0013-0001(2005)059[0066:POLWUA]2.0.CO;2
Primavera, J.H., Sadaba, R.B., Lebata, M.J.H.L. and Altamirano, J.P. (2004) Handbook of Mangroves in the Philippines—Panay. SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department, Iloilo.
Canizares, L.P. and Seronay, R.A. (2016) Diversity and Species Composition of Mangroves in Barangay Imelda, Dinagat Island, Philippines. AACL Bioflux, 9, 518-526. http://www.bioflux.com.ro/aacl
Hughes, N.K., Burley, A.L., King, S.A. and Downey, P.O. (2009) Monitoring Manual for Bitou Bush Control and Native Plant Recovery. Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water, Sydney.
Deguit, E.T., Smith, R.P., Jatulan, W.P. and White, A.T. (2004) Participatory Coastal Resource Assessment Training Guide. Coastal Resource Management Project of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Cebu City, Philippines.
English, S., Wilkinson, C. and Baker, V. (1997) Survey Manual for Tropical Marine Resources. Chapter 3-Mangrove Survey. Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, 119-196.
Fernando, E.S. (1998) Forest Formations and Flora of the Philippines: Handout in FBS 21. College of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of the Philippines at Los Ba?os (Unpublished).
Polidoro, B.A., et al. (2010) The Loss of Species: Mangrove Extinction Risk and Geographic Areas of Global Concern. PLoS ONE, 5, e10095.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0010095
Numbere, A.O. (2018) Mangrove Species Distribution and Composition, Adaptive Strategies and Ecosystem Services in the Niger River, Delta, Nigeria.
https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.79028
Lemieux, J. and Cusson, M. (2014) Effects of Habitat-Forming Species Richness, Evenness, Identity, and Abundance on Benthic Intertidal Community Establishment and Productivity. PLoS ONE, 9, e109261.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0109261
Vickers, A.D. and Palmer, S.C.F. (2000) The Influence of Canopy and Other Factors upon the Regeneration of Scots Pine and Its Associated Ground Flora within Glen Tanar National Nature Reserve. Forestry, 73, 37-49.
https://doi.org/10.1093/forestry/73.1.37