Philippine E-Journals

Profile of Mangrove Forest Along Davao Gulf, Tagum City

Leonila P. Galerio | Carmelita P. Martinez

 

Abstract:

The assessment was conducted to formulate a baseline data on the profile of mangrove forest of the three coastal barangays in Tagum City namely: Barangay Madaum, San Isidro, and Busaon. Descriptive statistics such as frequency and percentage were used to analyze the quantitative data while the Shannon-weiner index of diversity was used to compute the species diversity.

A total of nine true mangrove species and three associated species were found in the study area. One of the rare species found in the area is Rhizophora species, the R. x lamarckii, a hybrid of R. apiculata and R. stylosa. Barangay Madaum and San Isidro have diverse mangrove forest while Brgy. Busaon is not diverse at all. Among the three coastal barangays, Brgy. Madaum is the most diverse followed by Brgy. San Isidro and Brgy. Busaon.

The study area falls within the fourth type climate of PAG-ASA’s Rainfall and Tropical Cyclone. Annual climatic conditions indicate that typhoon and tropical depressions usually occur during the months of November and December. The physico-chemical factors at Brgy. Madaum showed that the substrate type is silty clay, medium acidic and moderately fertile. The soil type in Brgy. San Isidro is clay loam which is highly fertile and slightly acidic. Brgy. Busaon’s soil type is clay loam which is moderately fertile and with a neutral pH level. Seawater salinity, pH and temperature obtained imply that the water condition in the three coastal barangays is normal and suitable for the growth of mangroves. Profile of mangrove forest in the barangay is influenced by the physico-chemical factors of the area, hence, these should be considered in the management planning of the mangrove forest.