Mangroves, seagrasses and coral reefs are critical to ecosystem sustainability, fisheries and tourism, and they are threatened by natural- and human-driven dynamics (e.g., cyclones and development). In collaboration with Dr. Rene Abesamis (Silliman University), Vivien Facunla and others from the USAID Fish Right Program, CRC Director J.P. Walsh and Dr. David Lagomasino from East Carolina University are working to create a remote sensing approach to map changes in coastal habitats and understand forcings and potential ramifications. This November, the team collected ground-truth data in two of the three Fish Right study areas, specifically in Sipalay (Southern Negros) and around Busuanga (Calamianes).
