Groups press DENR to suspend mangrove earth-balling

MANILA, Philippines — Environmental groups are urging the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to suspend the earth-balling and relocation of mangroves, warning that the practice could result in the death of up to 80% of trees removed, as a House resolution calls for an examination of the agency’s policy.

The call was made by the Global Mangrove Alliance Philippines (GMAP), international ocean conservation organization Oceana and mangrove scientist Dr. Jurgenne Primavera of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), amid a congressional inquiry into the DENR’s guidelines allowing mangrove earth-balling in exceptional circumstances.

The DENR memorandum, dated Oct. 8, 2025, is titled Interim Operational Guidance and Conditions on the Earth-balling and Relocation of Mangroves in Exceptional Circumstances. It provides guidance for processing requests to earth-ball and relocate mangroves pending the completion of a study by the agency’s Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau.

Article continues after this advertisement

Under the memorandum, mangroves “shall not be removed or disturbed” as a rule. Earth-balling and relocation may be considered only in specified exceptional cases, including when mangrove trees pose a danger or when the activity involves an infrastructure flagship project endorsed by the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development, provided that mitigation measures to avoid impacts on mangroves have been exhausted.

FEATURED STORIES

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

The guidelines also prohibit the DENR from accepting or processing requests for earth-balling and relocation for commercial, recreational or other private purposes.

Survival of transplanted mangroves

The environmental groups, however, said available scientific evidence raises concerns about whether mangroves removed through earth-balling can survive after transplantation.

“Repeal the DENR Guidelines now. Congress must investigate to stop this threat to our remaining mangroves,” Primavera, ZSL’s chief mangroves scientific adviser, said.

The groups cited several studies they said had been presented to the DENR as early as March 2025.

Article continues after this advertisement

These included a China-based study that recorded only 20% to 25% survival of two mangrove species 10 months after earth-balling; an Australia-based study that found mortality after 2.5 years among mangroves with an average trunk diameter of more than 5 centimeters; and Philippine data showing adult mangroves in five barangays in Ibajay, Aklan, had average trunk diameters of 9 to 16 centimeters.

READ: Coastal greenbelt bill pushed as stronger storms threaten coasts

Article continues after this advertisement

The House resolution filed by Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima cites additional research indicating that successful earth-balling is ecologically and physiologically limited to trees with stem widths of less than approximately 8 centimeters.

It also says mangroves in coastal areas typically targeted for infrastructure development in the Philippines have mature stems ranging from 10 to 30 centimeters in diameter or more.

Earth-balling involves digging up a tree together with surrounding soil to form a compact mass, which is then secured and transferred using equipment such as a crane or bladed tree spade.

“[S]tudies have shown that mangrove earth-balling and transplantation establish that the practice fundamentally disrupts the integrated soil-water-vegetation connections upon which mangrove ecosystems depend, resulting in losses of ecosystem function,” the House resolution stated.

DENR guidelines impose safeguards

The DENR memorandum, meanwhile, states that the survival of earth-balled mangroves must be the “paramount consideration” in all cases.

It requires proponents to follow established methodologies for selecting transplanting and replacement sites, preserving the root system and soil ball, timing the operation according to tidal and seasonal conditions, and using appropriate equipment and transport techniques.

Proponents must also submit a Mangrove Rehabilitation and Monitoring Plan before any permit is issued.

The memorandum further requires transplanting and replacement sites to meet ecological standards involving tidal elevation, hydrological conditions, salinity and soil conditions, slope and wave protection, and proximity to existing mangrove stands.

For projects covered by the Philippine Environmental Impact Statement System, proposed earth-balling and relocation activities must also be included in the applicable environmental assessment documents.

Actual earth-balling, transplanting and replacement planting must be conducted under the direct monitoring and supervision of the concerned DENR field office, according to the memorandum.

Pending applications for mangrove earth-balling and relocation, meanwhile, will be evaluated under the safeguards in the memorandum.

“Proponents with incomplete requirements or pending submissions shall be directed to update their applications in compliance with these provisions prior to further evaluation. No permit shall be issued unless full compliance with this Memorandum is observed,” the agency said.

The memorandum also says existing guidelines and requirements for the issuance of cutting or earth-balling permits will remain in effect and will apply alongside the new provisions.

It also provides that unauthorized cutting, earth-balling or relocation of mangroves may be subject to penalties under Presidential Decree No. 705, as amended, the Fisheries Code and other applicable laws.

House questions legal basis of policy

Beyond the scientific concerns, the House resolution questions whether the DENR memorandum is consistent with existing laws and international commitments on mangrove protection.

It cites Section 99 of Republic Act No. 8550, as amended by RA 10654, or the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, which prohibits the conversion of mangroves for other purposes.

The resolution also points to Presidential Proclamation No. 2152, which declares the entire province of Palawan and certain other areas as mangrove swamp forest reserves, and the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act, or RA 8371, when mangrove areas fall within ancestral domains.

The resolution argues that the DENR’s issuance could conflict with these protections, describing the “unilateral issuance of administrative guidance” as a “grave overreach of executive regulatory authority.”

READ: Mangroves save lives: Greenbelt zones pushed in PH

It also asks House committees to examine the memorandum’s legal validity and determine whether it should be revoked or amended.

Specifically, the resolution calls for the inquiry to “review the legal validity of the administrative issuance in light of existing mangrove protection laws, recommend its immediate revocation or amendment as may be warranted, and call for the conduct of a comprehensive, independent scientific review.”

The proposed inquiry would also look beyond the current memorandum. De Lima’s resolution asks lawmakers to review and consolidate existing legislation and explore a new mangrove conservation and protection law establishing “clear, enforceable standards for mangrove preservation, rehabilitation, and sustainable management.”

Mangrove loss raises stakes for coastal communities

The Philippines is home to at least 50% of the roughly 65 mangrove species found worldwide, but its mangrove cover has declined from about 500,000 hectares in the early 20th century to roughly 285,000 to 311,400 hectares in 2020, according to Oceana.

The House resolution puts the remaining cover at about 284,798 hectares and says the country has lost more than 64% of its mangroves since 1918.

READ: DPWH flood project in Cebu buries mangroves without environmental permit

The resolution notes that mangroves help protect coastal communities from storm surges, flooding and erosion while also serving as nurseries for marine species, supporting fisherfolk livelihoods and contributing to climate change mitigation.

For Oceana Vice President Von Hernandez, allowing earth-balling could put those natural defenses at further risk.

“By allowing earth-balling, the DENR is sacrificing proven nature-based solutions for short-term economic gain,” Hernandez said.

“Shouldn’t the DENR be held accountable for reneging on its mandate to protect mangroves and uphold nature-based safeguards especially at a time when every coastal community in the country is under siege from flooding and storm surges?” he added.

Concern over Cancabato Bay

Oceana also pointed to Cancabato Bay in Tacloban City, Leyte — known as “ground zero” of Supertyphoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in 2013, one of the deadliest typhoons in recorded history, which killed at least 6,300 people — as a potential site for further mangrove removal.

The organization said operators of Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport announced on July 29 that “mangroves in the airport’s vicinity will have to be removed to make way for shore protection infrastructure, a new perimeter road, and to prevent bird strikes.”

According to GMAP, many coastal areas with mangroves targeted for cutting were declared no-build zones after Supertyphoon Haiyan.

Stronger mangrove protection

GMAP has called for a halt to earth-balling while Congress examines the policy.

“In the spirit of precaution, all earth-balling of mangroves must stop while Congress examines the scientific, legal, and governance questions surrounding the policy,” the group said.

The groups also cited the 40-hectare Floodway Project in Jaro, Iloilo, as an example of infrastructure being integrated into a natural mangrove environment.

They are urging the passage of the proposed National Coastal Greenbelt Bill, which seeks to strengthen mangrove restoration and nature-based solutions for vulnerable coastal communities.

Oceana said it supports De Lima’s investigation and the proposed legislation.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.

Your subscription has been successful.

“With climate impacts intensifying, we appeal to President Marcos Jr. to certify the passage of this bill as urgent,” Hernandez said. /dm