Species Account of Mangroves in the Coastal Zones of Naawan, Misamis Oriental

Changes in the zonation pattern of mangroves can be a measure of natural and anthropogenic perturbations. As such, mangroves in the coastal zones of Naawan were surveyed usingthebelttransectmethod. There were a total of 8 species belonging to 4 families of mangroves, namely, Avicenniarhumpiana, Avicennia marina and Avicennia alba in Family Acanthacea; Sonneratia alba in Family Lythraceae; Rhizophoramucronata, Ceriopszippeliana, and Bruguieraparviflora in Family Rhizophoraceae; and lastly, Excoecariaagallocha in Family Euphorbiaceae. Families Acanthacea and Rhizophoraceae dominated the coastal zones and moving towards the foreshore riverine portion. Diversity and evenness indices indicated a relatively diverse and proportionally distributed mangrove species across the coastal zones of Naawan. This study could help some mangrove restoration initiatives to avoid introduction of certain species in the area based on site-specificity and sensitivity among mangrove species.