Mangrove conservation in the Largest Mangrove Forest of Philippines - Integrating satellite data with community conservation efforts

The Oxford Marine Protection Project, in collaboration with WWF Philippines, is supporting community-based mangrove conservation in the Del Carmen Mangrove Forest in Siargao, recognised as the largest intact mangrove forest in the Philippines. We present an integrated framework combining on-ground assessments with novel satellite and geospatial datasets across four categories: habitat extent and condition, environmental stressors, biodiversity indicators (quantified using Bio-in-the-Box pipelines), and spatialised threat data, including evidence of illegal logging.

This multi-source approach is used to assess ecosystem vulnerability and co-benefits such as coastal protection and blue-carbon potential. The framework supports the identification of biodiversity hotspots, storm-resilient areas, degraded zones requiring restoration, and locations impacted by resource extraction. Our work demonstrates how integrated remote sensing and biodiversity data can strengthen the design, prioritisation, and long-term evaluation of nature-based coastal solutions in community-managed mangrove systems.