Survival and Growth Performance of Planted Kandelia candel (L.) Druce Stand in the Philippines

The mangrove species Kandelia candel (L.) Druce is distributed in tropical Southeast and East Asia but limited to one locality in the Philippines. Hence, conservation attempt was carried out through plantation in Gimaloto, Sorsogon, the Philippines. We planted 300 K. candel seedlings on riverbanks 1 m apart along the tidal distance – or the planting distance from seaward to landward direction from the river’s mouth. We monitored seedlings monthly during the first year and then quarterly for 2 yr more for a total of 3 yr. We were interested in determining the survival probability and growth performance of K. candel seedlings along the tidal distance (1–300 m distance) and during different monitoring intervals (i.e. monthly, quarterly, bi-annual, and annual). Thirty-four (34) seedlings survived by the end of the three-year experiment, where most of the seedlings died during the first year after outplanting. Survival probability and growth increased with tidal distance, indicating that planted K. candel seedlings prefer the inland zone of at least 200 m from the sea line in the experimental area. Changes in growth parameters were observed between succeeding monitoring periods conducted during quarterly, bi-annual, and annual monitoring intervals but not during short-term monthly monitoring intervals, indicating growth responses due to seasonal and interannual variability. Our result suggests a possible introduction of K. candel outside its native population with consideration of tidal distance. We suggest mangrove rehabilitation and reforestation programs need to first conduct a zonation experiment similar to the method used in this study to identify the ecological distance where a certain mangrove species can grow better before extensive restoration and rehabilitation programs are implemented