07/11/2025
Iloilo City’s natural green defense.
These aerial photo first shared by former Mayor Jerry Treñas shows the wide mangrove belt along the city’s coastline — particularly at the mouth of the man-made Iloilo City Floodway in Brgy. Bitoon, Jaro, stretching all the way into Hinactacan, La Paz — a thriving ecosystem that grew naturally over time, supported by silt from the flood control project.
Today, this area — dominated by Avicennia marina (api-api) — is now one of Iloilo City’s most valuable natural assets. Mangroves like these play a vital role in:
• climate change adaptation
• wave and storm surge protection
• shoreline stabilization and erosion control
• carbon sequestration
• fisheries productivity and biodiversity support
Iloilo City is home to 25 mangrove species out of the 46 species found in the entire Philippines — including naturally grown stands like this, as well as planted mangroves along the riverbanks near the Iloilo River Esplanade. This makes Iloilo one of the urban centers in the country with the highest mangrove diversity.
Trivia: Avicennia marina is known as a “pioneer species” — one of the first to colonize new mudflats. And mangroves can store up to four times more carbon than upland forests — making them one of our strongest natural climate mitigation tools.
As Iloilo continues to expand economically, this growing mangrove stand is a reminder that nature-based climate solutions are not just possible — they are already working.
Protecting these green buffers is essential to safeguarding coastal communities, sustaining livelihoods, and ensuring resilience for future generations of Ilonggos.
Photo by Jerry Treñas.
