ABSTRACT
The natural composition of Mangrove is requisitely considered predominantly along the tropical and subtropical coastal zones due to its ability to provide protection along the area and reduce carbon concentration on the atmosphere through carbon sequestration in soil. Subsequently, people conduct Mangrove tree planting programs to propagate the forest without deep diving to the parameters involved that are simultaneous to achieve proper zoning that increases biodiversity in a mangrove area. Without proper zoning, conservation of the plantation would be tough since unsuitable mangrove specie are conceivable to be planted on a specific environment which will only yield to fizzling out of the mangrove species. This issue is currently happening within the locality. As imputable to that, this study was carried out to know what is the current status of the different Mangrove plantations in the selected barangays of Daet, Camarines Norte in order to fill the above-stated gap.
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The floristic composition in terms of species identification have revealed the presence of 11 mangrove species belonging to 8 families that thrives mostly along the coastline and estuaries. The study areas have showed dominance of Rhizophora mucronata and Rhizophora apiculata whereas Bruguiera sexangula was recorded to have low ascendency. In terms of root system identification, it revealed the presence of three distinct root systems, namely the stilt root, pencil root, and fibrous root, with the stilt root comprising the majority of the root system of the various species. The highest average total height has been kept by Ceriops tagal, Avicennia marina, and Sonneratia alba, while the smallest are Acanthus ebracteatus and Scyphiphora hydrophylacea. In terms of average DBH, it showed Avicennia marina and Sonneratia alba is the widest, while Scyphiphora hydrophylacea is the narrowest. In addition, Ceriops tagal and Avicennia rumphiana have the broadest covered basal area while Scyphiphora hydrophylacea and Nypa fruticans are narrowest. Moreover, the results of the physicochemical analysis soil and physical analysis of water have indicative effect on the nutrient availability that affects the mangrove vegetation as supported by the floristic composition data. In terms of physical properties of leaves, majority of the existing species experience perforation and discoloration. For the most part, the results from the species diversity analysis using Simpson’s Diversity Index (SDI) have revealed that Barangay Gubat and Bagasbas which thrive near the coastline have less biodiversity while Barangay Mambalite and Awitan have greater biodiversity which naturally thrive in very harsh environments. Overall, the data were found substantial upon the construction of the Mangrove Species Biodiversity Index Guide that provides sustainability map to help flourish the mangrove vegetation through proper zoning in the mangrove plantations in Daet, Camarines Norte.