DENR Capiz conducts seagrass sampling in Pilar

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The Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) Capiz conducted seagrass observation and sampling in Barangays Balogo and San Antonio, Pilar, Capiz, as part of the ongoing Protected Area Suitability Assessment (PASA).

The activity was also conducted under Project Lusay.

Capiz PENR Officer Dr. Ernest C. Federiso said the PASA is a crucial step in determining the ecological, social, and economic viability of declaring an area as a protected area under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS).

It evaluates the area’s biological significance and potential for sustainable conservation management.

Despite unfavorable weather conditions, the PENRO Capiz team successfully documented and collected samples of various seagrass species.

They were joined by volunteer on-the-job trainees from Northern Iloilo State University, Saint Vincent College, and CapSU-Pontevedra, along with BS Biology students from Filamer Christian University, in coordination with the Pilar local government unit.

Select seagrass samples were carefully and minimally uprooted strictly for educational and research purposes.

All sampling activities followed environmental protocols to ensure minimal disturbance to the habitat.

Among the observed species were smooth ribbon seagrass (Cymodocea rotundata), serrated ribbon seagrass (Cymodocea serrulata), narrowleaf seagrass (Halodule uninervis), pineleaf halodule (Halodule pinifolia), tape seagrass (Enhalus acoroides), and sickle seagrass (Thalassia hemprichii).

These species are known for their ecological role in providing breeding grounds and habitats for marine life, stabilizing sediments, and supporting coastal resilience.

“Declaring one area as a marine protected area is an extensive process and may take considerable time to complete,” said DENR Region VI Regional Executive Director Raul L. Lorilla.

“However, with LGU interventions and the will to further protect this massive seagrass bed, we are one step closer to making it to the NIPAS,” he added.