Banacon Island Mangrove Forest
The Banacon Island Mangrove Forest is now an eco-tourist destination with an approximate area of 425 hectares of Mangrove Forest established through a community effort that started last 1957. The Municipality of Getafe, located north of Bohol province, is now considered the biggest mangrove plantation in the country.
This extensive mangrove plantation also has established scenic trails beneath overlapping and intertwining mature mangrove trees that are breathless to behold. The trees are a monoculture of the “bakauan” (Rhizophora Stylosa), the most common mangrove species found in the river systems, estuaries, and off-shore islands of the Bohol province. Rhizophora Stylosa is a genus of tropical trees that generally lives in inter-tidal areas which are inundated daily by the tides. All the Rhizophora species have arching stilt roots that emerge from the trunk. The tangled and intricate root systems of the bakauans provide shelter to hundreds of fish species that are native to the waters around Banacon Island. They also serve as critical spawning grounds or nurseries for the fishes, seahorses, shrimps, crabs and other marine life.
Location: Getafe, Bohol, Philippines
