PALOMPON, Leyte — Journalists in Eastern Visayas joined the adoption of a 540-hectare mangrove forest in Palompon town that saved at least four villages during the devastation of typhoon Yolanda.

The Eastern Visayas Media Without Borders (EVMWB) signed a memorandum of agreement with the local government of Palompon, together with CARD MRI and the Duljungan Paddlers Guide Association, for the preservation and protection of the 540-hectare Duljugan-Buenavista Mangrove Forest (DBMF).

“As journalists, we should not only report about the death and casualties during disasters but also do our part so that such disaster will not happen again,” says Miriam Desacada, president of EVMWB.

DAILY TRIBUNE correspondent Elmer Recuerdo also signed the MoA as a witness, being a board director of the regional media organization.

Under the partnership, EVMWB will conduct mangrove reforestation initiatives as well as help promote DBMF as one of Palompon’s prime tourist destinations, which is a popular site for its so-called Kayak Avenue, a kayak paddling route where one can view the forest’s scenery without disturbing them.

Palompon Mayor Ramon C. Oñate said the collaborative reforestation and mangrove protection project is a milestone in the town’s environmental protection and tourism.

Oñate said that during the devastation of typhoon Yolanda, the thick mangrove forest directly shielded two villages and helped protect two others from destruction.

He said the super typhoon left only 30 percent of the mangroves intact. “Lives and properties were saved because of these mangroves,” he said.

Raoul Bacalla, Palompon’s environmental consultant, said that aside from supporting livelihood to over 2,000 fisherfolk who are into municipal fishing and shellfish gathering, DBMF is also a critical habitat for a variety of marine species and a feeding ground for migratory birds.

“From Tres Marias these migratory birds fly to Duljugan and Naungan in Ormoc City,” Bacalla said. Tres Marias, a group of three islets in Palompon and also a tourist destination, has been declared a Marine Park and Bird Sanctuary.