Earth – balling detrimental to mangroves marine scientist

ILOILO City – A globally recognized Filipino marine scientist has called on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to repeal its October 2025 memorandum allowing the earth-balling and relocation of mangroves in “exceptional circumstances,” warning that the policy lacks scientific grounding and could endanger critical coastal ecosystems. 

Earth-balling (or “balling and burlapping”) is the method of digging up a young tree or plant with the soil around its roots kept intact in a compact “ball,” usually wrapped with burlap/sack, so the roots are protected during transport and the seedling survives better when replanted (transplanting/ shifting). 

Dr. Jurgenne Primavera, chief mangrove scientific advisor of the Zoological Society of London and Academician of the National Academy of Science and Technology, issued a public statement Monday urging DENR secretary Raphae Lotilla to rescind the memorandum dated Octobe 8, 2025. 

“May I call for the repeal of DENR Memo on Guidance on Mangrove Earthballing and Relocation in Exceptional Circumstances dated 8 October 2025 and signed by the two Undersecretaries for  Field Operations for Luzon and Visayas, and for Mindanao. The Memo mentions ‘established methodologies and ... relevant issuances by the ERDB, FMB and BMB’, but there is no attachment describing such methodologies,” Primavera said. 

Primavera criticized the memorandum’s provision requiring proponents to adopt “established methodologies” from the Ecosystem Research and Development Bureau (ERDB), Forest Management Bureau (FMB), Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) noting that no such methodologies were attached or clearly defined.

She specifically cited Item No.2 under the memorandum’s “Guidance and Conditions,” which states that survival of earth-balled mangroves shall be the “paramount consideration” and that proponents must submit a Mangrove Rehabilitation and Monitoring Plan prior to permit issuance.

However, Primavera warned that scientific data show transplantation of mature mangroves results in extremely low survival rates.

Among the findings she cited: 

* A China study showing a low 20–25% survival rate of two mangrove species 10 months after earth-balling (Wang and Wang, 2007); 

* a DENR-ERDB study showing a low average survival rate of 10% for earthballed mangroves; 

* an Australia study showing mortality after 2.5 years for mangroves with trunk diameters exceeding 5 centimeters (Abbot and Marohasy, 2014); and 

* data from Ibajay, Aklan showing adult mangrove with average trunk dial of 9–16 centimeters. 

“The above data show that earth-balling of mature mangrove trees (i.e., more than 5 cm diameter) causes mortality, therefore such data could not be used to refine a proposed DENR Administrative Order on Sustainable Coastal Development which include mangrove earth-balling. Since then, no definitive DAO has been issued by the DENR on the subject,” Primavera said. 

She also recalled that as early as June 2019, the late DENR Region 6 Director Jim O.