When the first mangrove seedling was planted to reforest a decimated mangrove forest in the bosom of Dasol Bay last Tuesday, residents heaved a collective sigh of relief.
            “We have not given up on our dream that the mangrove forest will still be back to its original state. This is the answer to our prayer,” Rafael Baraan, a resident of this town, said.
            It was Baraan and the late Ramon Lizeralde who fought tooth and nail to stop the cutting down of the virgin mangrove forest which started in 1988. The forest, which was the source of fish, crustaceans and all kinds of fingerlings by the residents, was turned into private fishponds by the town mayor at that time.Baraan and Lizeralde went to all government agencies with the residents’ petitions to stop the cutting down of mangroves. But they were met with indifference. More than 100 hectares of century-old mangroves were soon reduced to the ground.
            Lizeralde died in 1995. He made a wish on his death bed that the area be restored to its original virginal state.
            Almost 20 years after the first mangrove was cut, the first mangrove seedling to replace it was planted during the ceremonial activity held on March 21 in Amalbalan village.
            It was the start of the Multi-Partnership Mangrove Rehabilitation of Dasol Bay, a joint undertaking of the local government unit of Dasol, Tanggol Kalikasan and the Foundation of the Philippine Environment (FPE). 
Ava Sharon P. Batay-an, area director of Tanggol Kalikasan-Northern Luzon, said it was the FPE which financially supports the project with counterpart funds from Altria Funds, an international funding agency.
            “The project complements the initiative of the municipality of Dasol in saving the estimated 60 hectares of mangroves and restoring 50 hectares od degrade mangrove areas along Dasol Bay through rehabilitation,” Batay-an said.
She added that this year, the project targets to reforest 10 hectares. “We hope to expand the projects to Infanta and Dasol (in) the coming years,” she said.
Planted were bakauan babae (Sc. Rhizophora mucronat); bakauan lalaki (Sc. Rhizophora apiculat); bakauan bato (Sc. Rhizophora stylosa); and other mangrove species like Sonneratia and Avicennia species.
This mangrove species can withstand heavy rains and the action of waves, Batay-an said.
The ceremonial planting was participated in by residents of Amalbalan and Gais-guipe and attended by Mayor Angelita Jimenez and Oliver Agoncillo, Natural Resources Policy Advisor of United States Agency for International Development (USAID). 
            Two days before the ceremonial planting, a rough-toothed dolphin was found ashore in Amalbalan.
 
The wounded dolphin was swimming very slowly towards the shore when local residents Kagawad Deolito Balazon and Artemio Espinosa saw it.
Barangay chair Zosimo Lampitoc immediately called the attention of Tanggol Kalikasan. Alberto Elec, project coordinator for the mangrove rehabilitation project. He coordinated with Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources personnel who gave the dolphin first aid.
“The dolphin was found to be dehydrated and would not eat. A cut was found on its left abdomen, apparently of shark attack,” Batay-an said.
            The dolphin was turned over to Oceans Adventure Park, which has facilities to nurse the dolphin, in the afternoon of March 20.