Beach forest species and mangrove associates in the Philippines

Abstract

This new publication supported by UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere Programme introduces researchers and the general public to beach forest species and mangroves associates and describes their medicinal, traditional and commercial uses based on recent research and the older, hard-to-access literature.

The shorelines and riverbanks of the Philippines were among the first sites opened for human settlement. Not surprisingly, vegetation in the coastal forest was the first to disappear, followed by mangroves and other forest types. Due to their early loss, beach forests are not well studied as other flora and therefore not familiar to the average Filipino.

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and sea-level rise associated with global warming, have highlighted the role of beach forest-mangrove greenbelts in conferring protection on coastal communities.

The publication is a collection of 140 species both familiar and poorly known, with around 100 treated exhaustively including scientific names, English names, local/regional names, botanical descriptions and folk uses.