As mangrove forests continue to decline because of coastal development, reclamation, and poorly planned rehabilitation projects, a Thomasian biologist is using children’s literature to teach young Filipinos that protecting coastal ecosystems begins with understanding them.
Through Mangroves for YOUth Workbook, UST College of Science faculty member and mangrove botanist Genea Nichole Cortez translates complex ecological concepts into stories, illustrations and interactive activities to improve mangrove literacy among Filipino children.
“The primary purpose of this book is to transmit complex information about Filipino mangroves to Filipino youth,” Cortez told the Varsitarian.
Supported by the Small Grants Programme of the Asean Centre for Biodiversity, the book is divided into three parts: the story Atia and the Crying Seedlings, Mangrove ABCs, and Let’s Mangroove!, an activity section with games and reflection exercises.
At the center of the book is Atia, a young girl trying to care for mangrove seedlings that mysteriously begin to cry. Cortez said the story introduces one of the most persistent problems in mangrove conservation: incorrect planting.
“Why are the seedlings crying? And later on, you will see in the book that this is the reason why the seedlings are crying. It’s primarily due to incorrect planting,” she said.
According to Cortez, the story reflects real conservation challenges she had encountered during fieldwork. She said improper planting often undermines rehabilitation efforts and is sometimes carried out by institutions expected to lead environmental protection.
“There are really many cases of incorrect planting,” she said. “It destroys our efforts, and sometimes it is even driven by government agencies that we are supposed to look up to, but the implementation is wrong.”
The workbook also addresses what Cortez described as the limited discussion of mangroves in the basic education curriculum.
Its second section, Mangrove ABCs, introduces foundational concepts through child-friendly explanations of common Philippine mangrove genera such as Sonneratia, Rhizophora and Avicennia, alongside terms such as propagules and specialized roots.
The final section, Let’s Mangroove!, reinforces these lessons through word searches, crossword puzzles, matching exercises, fill-in-the-blanks and reflection activities.
“I know that the information that I have to provide is basic, but at the same time engaging curiosity,” Cortez said.
Cortez said her background in secondary education helped her design the workbook for young learners, while her specialization in mangrove botany ensured its scientific accuracy.
Even before publishing the workbook, she has been using art to communicate mangrove science. Through a personal illustration project inspired by pneumatophores, or mangroves’ breathing roots, she creates and shares educational artwork online.
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“Before I started illustrating, I studied the plants, the mangroves themselves,” she said. “In order for me to gain expertise, what I did was to really draw it.”
Her advocacy was further shaped by years of fieldwork and community engagement. As a graduate student, Cortez joined the research team that surveyed the Del Carmen Mangrove Reserve in Siargao before its designation as the Philippines’ 10th Ramsar site. The Philippine Clearing House Mechanism lists the Del Carmen Mangrove Reserve, within the Siargao Island Protected Landscape and Seascape, as Ramsar Site No. 2553.
During field surveys, she recalled, local boatmen and children often became curious about her work, giving her opportunities to explain the ecological importance of mangroves.
Those experiences, along with her work with coastal communities such as the Tubo-Tubo Fisher Folks Association in Bataan, reinforced for Cortez that mangroves are inseparable from the people who depend on them.
“Mangroves are not just a plant,” she said. “There’s a lot of intertwined connections, [a] network of communities that is really important.”
Beyond protecting coastlines from storm surges and typhoons, she said mangroves also sustain fisheries by serving as habitats for shellfish, crabs, shrimps and fish.
“It’s very important because mangroves are one of our shields against climate change,” Cortez said.
She hopes schools, families and communities will use the workbook as a starting point for conversations about conservation, emphasizing that environmental stewardship begins with early education.
“It’s best to use the book interactively and use it as a conversation for protecting mangroves,” she said. “What we are instilling is hope and action for the youth. They will be doing their own stories, they will have more stories to tell. With that, we can help promote conservation.”
The workbook is available free of charge through the Asean Centre for Biodiversity’s publications page, where readers may also access its interactive digital edition.
Cortez serves as science communication lead of Mangroves Matters PH, a youth-led organization that promotes mangrove conservation through science communication, education, policy engagement and community-based advocacy.
