Perceptions of the seagrass ecosystems for the local communities of Eastern Samar, Philippines: Preliminary results and prospects of blue carbon services

Coastal communities, knowingly or otherwise, rely on seagrasses for their livelihood, recreation and food source, among other services. However, despite its importance, seagrasses are not receiving similar attentions with its adjacent ecosystems, the mangroves, and coral reefs. Because of their role in climate change mitigation, seagrasses along with mangroves and salt marshes (the blue carbon ecosystems) are gaining attention recently. This preliminary study investigates the perception of coastal communities in Eastern Samar, Philippines on seagrasses. The results of the survey show that there is a level of high awareness among respondents to seagrass ecosystem services. Despite that, however, utilization remains low. The level of awareness varies on the type of ecosystem service; for instance, locals have a high awareness of provisioning services while low awareness of cultural services. The survey also included the perceived threats to seagrasses, where damages caused by natural disturbances are identified as the most concerning threat. This may be due to the geographic location of the sites that are frequented by typhoons. The perception potentially indicates depleted resources brought about by mismanagement or overlooking this natural resource. The results provide a more contextualized understanding on how local communities are aware of and interacting with, or the lack thereof, seagrass ecosystems. This could aid local government units (LGUs) and conservation groups in the area to craft practicable and sustainable management plans and threat-specific solutions.