Twenty-five-year-old Mangrove Matters PH founder Matthew Vincent Tabilog grew up in coastal Talisay City in the Philippines’ central Negros Occidental province – an island region that hosts a string of more than 50 marine protected sanctuaries along its coastline.
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“The sea was just a short walk from our house,” he recalled. “That proximity gave me an early connection to marine life and later, inspired me to study marine biology.” That childhood bond with the sea would eventually shape a life dedicated to ocean conservation, community empowerment and science communication.
Tabilog began his advocacy work as early as 2018 during his freshman year at the Institute of Environmental and Marine Sciences at Silliman University in Dumaguete, on a campus that faced the Bohol Sea. He recalls that it was a marine botany class that was pivotal in shaping his perspective.
“My professor at that time, Dr Hilconida Calumpong [one of the Philippines’ most notable researchers], said marine botanists are a ‘dying breed’ – there’s limited funding and fewer students entering the field. That pushed me to champion underappreciated marine plant species like mangroves even more strongly,” he told Eco-Business.
The young conservationist noted that the Philippines once had 500,000 hectares of mangroves, but more than half have been lost due to coastal development. “These ecosystems are vital for climate resilience, biodiversity and community livelihoods,” he explained.
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Mangroves and seagrasses are both vital blue carbon ecosystems. While mangroves are slowly gaining recognition, seagrasses are still overlooked in the Philippines. There’s very little research or protection for them despite their role in coastal resilience.
Matthew Tabilog, founder, Mangrove Matters PH
He has since become one of the Philippines’ most active young voices for blue carbon ecosystems, calling attention to the country’s dwindling support for marine botany. “Mangroves are underrepresented even in school textbooks, especially in basic education, so young people are rarely exposed to them early on. We need better integration of marine ecosystems into school curricula to spark interest in this vital science.”
In 2020, Tabilog founded Mangrove Matters PH, a youth-driven initiative that promotes mangrove conservation through reforestation projects, nursery workshops and public awareness campaigns.
“Most ocean-focused content [in schools and social media] has been about corals, whales, and fish – but not mangroves,” he said, explaining what sparked the group’s creation during the pandemic. In just a few years, the initiative has expanded its reach nationwide, culminating in the organisation hosting the first National Mangrove Youth Summit in the Philippines, held in March this year.
Tabilog’s passion for advocacy has extended well beyond the classroom. In 2022, he graduated magna cum laude and used his university commencement as a platform for protest – raising a placard that read Save the Irrawaddy Dolphins in all caps – denouncing the Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridges project that threatens to cut through a Ramsar-listed wetland and endanger one of the country’s last remaining populations of the critically endangered marine mammal.
A live stream capture shows conservationist Tabilog holding a sign protesting the Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridges project in a lightning demonstration during the 2022 commencement ceremony of Silliman University. Image: Save Irrawaddy Dolphins from Extinction
Last year, Tabilog and Mangrove Matters PH worked with Oceana Philippines on the Panaon Island Protected Seascape Bill alongside nine other pieces of legislation that declared key marine sanctuaries around the archipelago as protected areas. In December, all ten were approved by the Senate and subsequently became law.
Now pursuing his graduate studies at Hokkaido University as a Japanese Government MEXT Scholar, Tabilog is focusing his research on seagrass ecosystems – another underappreciated but vital marine habitat.
He chairs the East Asian–Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) Youth Task Force, and is the Knowledge and Capacity Building Lead for Youth Engaged in Wetlands. Later this month, he will represent youth-led conservation efforts on the global stage at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP15) in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
In this interview, the Eco-Business Sustainability Youth A-List 2025 awardee Tabilog talks about the Philippines’ blue ecosystems and why youth advocacy groups also have a part to play in policy work.
Tell us about Mangrove Matters PH and what inspired the initiative.
Mangrove Matters PH is a youth-led initiative that promotes mangrove conservation through science communication and community engagement. We started in 2020 during the pandemic, when we noticed most ocean-focused content rarely focused on mangroves.
So we began sharing information and educational material online, starting with Twitter, and later expanded to Facebook, Instagram and our website. Beyond digital outreach, we also work directly with communities – running mangrove nursery workshops with women-led groups in Negros Island and conducting mangrove planting initiatives.
We’re careful to plant the correct species and monitor them properly. Recently, we hosted the Philippines’ first National Mangrove Youth Summit with partners like Oceana Philippines, Wetlands International, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Las Piñas Wetland Park.
What began with just five of us – all marine biology students from Silliman University – has grown into a network of more than 30 youth advocates, collaborating both locally and internationally. I’m proud that our youth members are becoming leaders in their own communities. That growth, and the ripple effect it’s having, is what I’m proudest of.
Why are mangroves so important to the Philippines? Do local communities recognise this importance?
As an archipelagic country, mangroves serve as the Philippines’ natural buffer zones against storm surges and typhoons. They also sequester large amounts of carbon in their soils – more than terrestrial trees – making them powerful tools for climate change mitigation.
On top of that, mangroves provide food and income for fishing communities and act as nursery grounds for fish, crabs and shellfish. For vulnerable populations, such as fisherfolk, mangroves are essential to both survival and food security.
From my experience, coastal communities understand mangroves deeply. In places like Tambobo Bay in Negros Oriental and Barangay Balaring in Silay City, people responded to oil spills and coastal flooding by replanting mangroves – often through women-led initiatives.
These women are key conservation leaders. While their husbands fish, they manage nurseries, organise planting efforts and even sell seedlings, which supports their livelihoods.
Why is it that mangrove conservation efforts are often led by women in Philippine communities?
I think it comes from a sense of motherly stewardship. These women are highly organised and deeply involved in both caregiving and community leadership. For example, in Silay, they earn around six pesos (US$0.11) per seedling, which helps sustain nursery operations and their households. Women are not just caregivers – they’re the backbone of many local conservation efforts.
On behalf of Mangrove Matters PH, Tabilog donates shovels and other equipment to women community members of Tambobo Bay, Negros Oriental after hosting a mangrove nursery management workshop in the coastal rural town. Image: Mangrove Matters PH
Mangrove Matters PH taps into the strong fervour of youth activism in Negros province. How has that shaped your work?
As early as 2021, we joined campaigns like Save Manila Bay, pushing back against reclamation that threatened key fishing grounds. From there, we opposed projects like a liquefied natural gas plant in San Carlos City, which would have harmed mangroves, seagrasses, and coral reefs. That project was eventually scrapped, a win for the community and environment.
We’re now campaigning to protect the Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park (LPPWP), a Ramsar site and the only wetland of international importance in Metro Manila. Despite its protected status, it’s under threat from reclamation. Some officials propose relocating the mangroves from the area, but studies show survival rates for transplanted mature mangroves are low. It’s crucial we protect them in place.
Your organisation was pivotal in lobbying for key legislation on marine protected parks in the Philippine Senate last year. How important is legislative advocacy for Mangrove Matters PH?
One key lesson we learnt was this: lawmakers really listen to the youth. We joined forces with Oceana Philippines and Wetlands International to push for the protection of areas like Panaon Island [in Southern Leyte]. I personally spoke to senators – including in my native Bisaya, to show local representation – and we handed out Christmas cards with photos and maps of the proposed protected areas.
We’re now lobbying for the National Coastal Greenbelt Bill. It is legislation to develop and implement a coherent, comprehensive and integrated National Coastal Greenbelt Management Action Plan. It’s vital that young people engage in policy work, because those in power can create real change if they hear from us.
You’re now pursuing studies in Japan focusing on seagrass. What inspired that shift?
Mangroves and seagrasses are both vital blue carbon ecosystems. While mangroves are slowly gaining recognition, seagrasses are still overlooked in the Philippines. There’s very little research or protection for them despite their role in carbon sequestration and coastal resilience.
Through my studies at Hokkaido University, I hope to fill that gap. My long-term plan is to return to the Philippines and contribute to their protection – whether through teaching, research or conservation. I want to be a scientist who not only publishes, but also works closely with communities.
What message would you like to share with Filipino youth about mangroves and conservation?
Get out there. Visit our mangroves. Talk to coastal communities. Learn from them. Join organisations, participate in cleanups, support reforestation. We already have these ecosystems – let’s appreciate and protect them.
The youth are among the most vulnerable to climate change. If we don’t act now, our future will suffer. We need to push for nature-based solutions, renewable energy, and sustainable development. The time to act is now.
The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. Matthew Vincent Tabilog was one of 8 sustainability leaders selected for the Eco-Business Sustainability Youth A-List 2025. Read our stories on other Youth A-List winners here.
