Species diversity and distribution of mangrove vegetation in Moalboal, Cebu Island, Philippines

This study identifies the diversity and distribution of mangrove species in Moalboal, Cebu, Philippines. Diversity and distribution assessment were conducted through non-experimental descriptive research design. The findings of the study revealed that mangrove vegetation in Moalboal is deteriorating and has continued to degrade over time. Species diversity was also found to be very low, with the Shannon-Weiner Index (H’) registering coefficients ranging from 0.8854 to 1.2268 for the various areas in Moalboal. There were only four species belonging to three families of mangroves identified, of which Sonneratia alba was determined to be the most dominant. With these results, rehabilitation and protection of mangrove vegetation is recommended to the local management and to ensure the strict implementation, protection and conservation of mangrove management in the studied areas. There is a need to reforest the areas with emphasis on repopulating disappearing species to avoid further degradation. It is further recommended to conduct more research on the implementation of the conservation activities and its effect on the abundance of the mangroves in the area. The study of ecological adaptation of mangroves, relative density, frequency and relative dominance must be undertaken to serve as important bases in community-based management programs.