Mangrove forest recovery a decade after Super Typhoon Haiyan

Many mangrove forests in the Philippines were severely damaged by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, one of the strongest tropical cyclones in recent world history. This study focuses on a specific patch of mangrove forest in Cancabato Bay, located in Tacloban-the city most severely affected. To assess the extent of typhoon-induced impacts on the forest, the intensities of wind, waves, and storm surge during the typhoon were hindcasted using an advanced meteorological-hydrodynamic coupling model. It is estimated that the storm surge and high waves, reaching up to 4.7 m and 1.3 m respectively, destroyed the predominantly Rhizophora apiculata mangrove forest. Beyond the effects of storm surge and waves, strong winds of up to 41 m/s appear to have caused further damage, particularly to taller trees. Intensive community-based reforestation activities were carried out between 2015 and 2018 to restore the damaged coastline. An analysis of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), derived from Landsat 8 OLI satellite imagery, reveals that the mangrove forest fringe increased by an impressive 80 % compared to pre-disaster levels, clearly demonstrating successful recovery following Typhoon Haiyan. In 2019, another strong typhoon, Phanfone, struck the same region, but the planted mangroves appeared to have withstood the storm with minimal damage. This study provides a concrete example that even when a mangrove forest is devastated by a powerful typhoon, it can recover in a relatively short time with effective afforestation efforts.