To advocate environmental preservation and protection to the community, PSU Lingayen campus initiated the Mangrove planting project last April 26 as part of the university’s mandate to adhere to its extension function in empowering the community to care for the environment.
According to Dr. Armando Junio, Campus Executive Director of PSU Lingayen, the said activity is a joint project of the Province of Pangasinan and the LGUs of Binmaley and Lingayen that will serve as an investment for the future generation in contributing environmental responsiveness and alleviating the effects of climate change.
Thousands of mangrove seedlings were planted in the coastal areas of Capandanan in Lingayen and Naguilayan in Binmaley identified by the Provincial Agriculture Office and Lingayen Agriculture Office as prospects for the environmental protection that Mangrove planting provides. This was further joined by local government officials, PSU employees, students, scholars of the provincial government and other stakeholders.
The students also expressed their love for nature by joining some of the featured activities organized by the PSU Lingayen campus that included the Unity walk, chant for a clean environment, and the poster and slogan making contest held at the university covered court.
Mangroves produce trunks that contains mid-air roots which become fixed in the mud and form a tangled arrangement; this serves as a support for the tree and as a means of ventilating the root system. Because of the Mangrove’s strong woody roots, it can also act as a buffer of strong winds and waves during intense tropical storms and hurricanes. It holds the soil and protects the shoreline during heavy periods of rainfall, stabilizing the shoreline remains, and reducing soil erosion.
Aside from the environmental protection that Mangroves provide, it can also be a great source of income. Mangrove forests are home to a large variety of fish, crab, shrimp, and mollusk species and these fisheries form an essential source of food for the coastal communities.