The mangrove ecosystems which provide diverse benefits to local communities are vulnerable to natural and human-induced threats. Existing policies and decision-makers in the Philippines are gearing towards the integration of physical, ecological, and social elements in managing these ecosystems. To date, the linkage between the policies and the direct beneficiaries (i.e. coastal communities) of the ecosystem services is, however, largely unexplored from local perspectives applying quantitative methodology. Thus, we conducted household surveys to the coastal villagers in Eastern Samar. By doing so, we provide basic information for the scientists and policymakers on the following elements of one the blue carbon ecosystems, mangroves; (1) resource utilization, (2) level of awareness on ecosystem services and existing management plans, and (3) perceptions on natural and anthropogenic threats. Results of the survey show that the utilization of mangrove ecosystem services is influenced by social demography and level of awareness of the locals. The trends of the locals’ utilization and perceptions on the diverse ecosystem services may provide evidence for their active involvement in protecting these resources. To enable more holistic and sustainable management, this study suggests the value of including coastal communities in contextualizing management plans, particularly for the areas often visited by natural hazards.

Seagrasses offer diverse ecosystem services, yet, they are among the most threatened ecosystems. When degraded or destroyed, their services are lost or reduced in the process, affecting, for instance, local communities directly dependent on their livelihood provision. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported that climate change is projected to worsen over time; thus, there is an urgent need for mitigation strategies in practice and also in the longer term. This work aims to provide an alternative perspective of seagrass restoration as a nature based solution (NbS) on a global scale, yet, giving an emphasis on tropical regions such as Indonesia. We focused on seagrass restorations which are not yet well established in comparison with other restoration programs (e.g., mangroves) despite their critical roles. We present in this work how restoring seagrass meadows fits the global standard of NbS published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The results of this study can serve as a basis for promoting seagrass restorations as NbS against climate change particularly in countries with a wide extent of seagrass coverage.