Some 2,000 mangrove propagules were planted in Barangay Binubusan, Lian, Batangas as part of ICTSI Foundation’s (IF) Mangrove Forest Enrichment Project phase two on 30 May 2026.

Volunteers from IF and partners of the project — Bauan International Port Inc., Ramon Aboitiz Foundation and the local government of Lian — took part in the activity to fulfill the planting of 20,000 additional mangrove propagules in a one-hectare site of the coastal village.

The Samahan ng mga Maliliit na Mangingisda ng Binubusan (SMMB), a local people’s organization, will maintain the mangroves.

Representatives from the Batangas Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office, Philippine Coast Guard, local police and the SMMB also attended the tree-planting activity.

An initial 12,500 mangroves were planted in the area in June 2025. SMMB recorded an 80 percent to 85 percent survival rate for the planted propagules.

The project builds on IF’s ongoing mangrove forest enrichment initiatives. In 2025, the foundation launched two mangrove-growing projects in Lian and San Luis in Batangas and in Sarangani Bay targeting to plant and maintain 45,000 and 125,200 mangroves, respectively.

These activities support IF’s broader environmental conservation efforts that aim to increase mangrove stock density, rehabilitate coastal habitats, and enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services.