The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (PCAARRD) and Southern Leyte State University (SLSU) will conduct a two-year research on mangroves’ potential to mitigate climate change.
SLSU President Jude A. Duarte and Project Leader Ian A. Navarrete recently signed the memorandum of agreement of the project “Mangrove-Sediment-Microorganism Carbon Dynamics to Enhanced CO2 Sequestration Capacity of Mangrove Forests” with DOST-PCAARRD Executive Director Reynaldo V. Ebora at the DOST PCAARRD office in Los Baños, Laguna.
PCAARRD officials witnessed the signing.
Navarrete said previous studies have shown that storing carbon, or carbon sequestration, is one natural solution to climate change.
The PCAARRD-funded project aims to study mangroves from Surigao del Norte, Palawan, and Southern Leyte and identify the microorganisms responsible for enhancing the transfer of carbon dioxide into sediments through mangrove roots and leaf litter.
Ebora said the project will analyze and compare the microorganisms and biochemical processes in the three sites and develop a carbon dioxide-methane flux model incorporating existing biochemical activities within the mangrove ecosystem.
He added outputs from the research may serve as baseline information in policymaking and implementing management practices in the role of mangroves in mitigating climate change.