The various ecosystem services provided by mangroves in the three (3) barangays (Buenlag, Manat and Basing) of Binmaley, Pangasinan were identified by the researchers of PSU Binmaley. These services are categorized into four (4) as provisioning, regulating, supporting and cultural. In terms of provisioning, there were 6 enumerated as follows: twigs are used for fuel or firewood, trunks are used charcoal, used as fishing ground to gather fish, mollusk, crustaceans and other species, the timber is used for house construction, seedlings and saplings are sold for other sources of income, provides nursery ground for fry or juvenile fishes, Nipa fronds are used for house roofing and Nipa fruits are eaten raw. Regulating ecosystem services listed were; serves as protection for strong winds and typhoons, various root systems help in filtering water, prevent the erosion of the riverbanks or dikes and control flooding, the leafy rhizophorans provide shade and fresh air.
In terms of Supporting, there are 3 listed ecosystem services, namely; prop roots of the rhizophorans trap the incoming litters for sediment formation, the accumulated leaf litters of mangroves help in nutrient cycling and help in sequestering carbon dioxide. The cultural services noted were; serve as avenue for educational research, provides aesthetic value for the residents and visitors, use for educational purposes like field observation and survey and for recreation like bird watching and picture taking.
This assessment was undertaken last November, 2021 by the researchers of the College of Fisheries and Environmental Science led by Dr. Geronimo R. Rosario, Dr. Lorena A. Felix and Prof. Jennie B. Fernandez.