By Chiussie L. Emeterio; edited by Fae G. Ucat and Frances Camille R. Rivera, Oceanus Conservation (GLFx Mindanao). All photos courtesy of Oceanus Conservation.

When I first arrived in Dawa-Dawa, I noticed how quiet the village was.

The sea, the grasses and the trees seemed to set the pace of life. But there was a story behind this calm: the community’s mangroves had been cleared for short-term profit.

Still, local residents were determined to bring back what they had lost.

I’m Chiussie Emeterio, a biologist from a coastal municipality in Zamboanga del Sur on the Philippine island of Mindanao – just a stone’s throw from Dawa-Dawa.

Growing up near the sea shaped my curiosity about coastal ecosystems, which eventually led me to study marine science and work in community-based restoration.

In 2024, I joined Oceanus Conservation, a non-profit committed to protecting water and wildlife in the Philippines. Dawa-Dawa became one of the first two communities I supported in my first few months with the team.

In Dawa-Dawa, I share technical knowledge on science-based mangrove restoration with the community, including when it’s best to plant (and when not to), which species are best planted in which areas and how to help seedlings survive. My role is to give scientific guidance so that they can lead the work with their own local knowledge and experience.

In this village, the community members of the Dawa-Dawa Aquatic Mangrove Reforestation Association (DAMRA) are uniting seaweed farmers and coastal residents whose lives depend on the sea.

Through the Local Indigenous Knowledge to Harness Adaptation (LIKHA) project, local knowledge and science have been paired to assist seaweed farmers, youth and families in reclaiming abandoned fishponds and protecting their coastline.

Reviving a forest in decline

The Philippines used to have nearly 500,000 hectares of mangroves, but only about two-fifths remain today. Many areas were converted into fishponds by clearing coastal mangrove trees. This provided a way for locals to earn income by farming fish.

However, without the trees, the coasts became vulnerable to flooding and storms, and fewer wild fish were attracted to the shores, hurting the fishing industry.

At Oceanus Conservation, we blend scientific methods with the community’s own intimate knowledge of the sea to help seaweed farmers recover their land.

Locals already understand the tides, seasonal sediment shifts and the species that had once thrived. Our role is to help turn these observations into actionable plans for mangrove restoration.

I remember one community consultation vividly.

“There are actually many kinds of mangroves, but it’s only now that we’ve learned there’s a proper method for planting them,” Heart Muñez from DAMRA tells us. “This is good because we’ve learned something new.”

Care isn’t just about teaching; it’s about helping people enhance what they already know.

A community hub filled with stories

Through LIKHA’s community-centered approach, we’ve been able to transform the village hub in Dawa-Dawa from a simple structure into a vibrant space for learning, collaboration and livelihood activities.

With simple upgrades such as new flooring and walls, as well as traditional woven paneling called amakan, the hub now serves as a space for workshops, meetings and shared meals.

Aside from farming seaweed as their main livelihood, people in Dama-Dama have also recently started exploring value-added seaweed products such as chips. They’ve been cooking seaweed chips weekly and selling them in a small store to earn extra income.

The hub is a welcoming space where the community can host visitors, proudly showcase their restoration work and conduct their regular meetings. They also use the hub as a dedicated cooking area and storage space, further supporting their livelihood activities.

I remember Ma’am Tomoy showing me around.“It’s really very useful to have the hub because that’s where we cook,” she told me. “Since it already has separate rooms, we can store our cooking equipment there for the seaweed chips.”

A creative touch: Children on the coast

LIKHA isn’t about using big machines or making grand declarations. Instead, the project grows quietly – through people, stories and shared moments.

One of the most heartwarming aspects of my work has been interacting with local children. We organized a mural activity where they painted mangroves, marine life and seaweed on the hub walls.

I remember one little boy saying: “I want to paint the boat green because that’s the boat my father uses for seaweed farming!”

Their paintings, full of such personal touches, are daily reminders of what the community is working to protect. Seeing their pride in what they’ve made and learned gave me a sense of hope that no report or data could capture.

Reclaiming the fishponds

Behind the hub lies an abandoned fishpond, dry and cracked, but small mangrove sprouts are now emerging.

Since 2023, Oceanus Conservation and DAMRA have planted over 11,000 mangrove seedlings and restored roughly four hectares of abandoned fishpond area in phases.

DAMRA’s restoration work will keep growing here, guided by community-led propagation, diverse mangrove planting and youth involvement.

One member told us: “We don’t need to be scientists to help, but we’re glad that someone is teaching us how to improve what we’re doing.”

This captures the essence of Dawa-Dawa’s journey: pride, resilience and commitment.

Hope grows back with the tide

As the sun sets over the coast near Dawa-Dawa, the community gathers inside the hub to talk about their work and the future they’re shaping together.

Their words are simple but meaningful: Bahalag hinay basta kanunay. It’s okay to go slow, as long as you keep going.

Salig lang. Have faith.

Hope grows slowly and steadily, much like mangroves themselves. In Dawa-Dawa, that hope is visible in every new seedling as the community works together to restore their coast.