Inabanga Coast
Location:	9°57'-10"05'N, l23°59'-l24°08'E; on the northwest coast of Bohol Island, from Tubigon to the Inabanga Estuary and Buenavista, Bohol Province.
Area:	About 22 km of coastline, with 450 ha of mangroves and 300 ha of aquaculture ponds.
Altitude:	Sea level.
Biogeographical Province:	4.26.12.
Wetland type:	01, 02, 06, 07 & 10.
Description of site:	A broad strip of coastal mangrove swamps and sandy mudflats between Tubigan and Buenavista, including the estuaries of the Inabanga and Clarin Rivers which rise in the deforested hills of northern Bohol. The mangrove fringe is over two km wide in places, but in other areas much of the mangrove has been converted to aquaculture ponds. There are numerous offshore islands covered in mangroves and fringed with coral reefs. The tidal variation is l.8m.
Climatic conditions:	Humid tropical climate with the rainfall more or less evenly distributed throughout the year (Type IV).
Principal vegetation:	Mangrove forest dominated by Avicennia officinalis, A. alba, with some Sonneratia caeseolaris and S. alba, particularly near the river banks. The dominant regenerating species is Ceriops tagal with some Rhizophora apiculata and Nypa fruticans. Further inland Avicennia officinalis is dominant, with small patches of Acanthus sp, Acrostichum aureum, Lumnitzera sp and Schyphiflora hydrophyllacea amongst the fish ponds. The principal vegetation in adjacent areas is plantations of Cocos nucifera.
Land tenure:	The aquaculture ponds are privately owned; the mangroves and mudflats are partly state owned and partly private.
Conservation measures taken:	None.
Conservation measures proposed:	Howes (1987) recommends (a) that mangrove replanting schemes already in progress in the Jetafe area to the east be expanded along the northwest coast of Bohol, (b) that the further conversion of mangroves to aquaculture projects be limited, and (c) that protection be given to the remaining large tracts of relatively intact mangrove forest.
Land use:	Fishing, aquaculture and harvesting of mangrove products for local use; cultivation of coconuts and subsistence agriculture (fruit and vegetables) in adjacent areas. There is a small port at Tongod near Inabanga Town.
Possible changes in land use:
Disturbances and threats:	The major threats are the continuing conversion of mangrove areas to aquaculture ponds, widespread cutting of mangroves for local use, excessive harvesting of Nypa fruticans, dynamite fishing on the coral reefs, fish poisoning, and pollution from domestic waste. There is a very high density of fish traps in the area, and over-exploitation of the marine resources may become a problem. Deforestation continues in the water catchment area, and this must be having a detrimental effect on the wetland. Hunting pressure is heavy, especially on whistling-ducks Dendrocygna arcuata.
Economic and social values:	A very important region for its fisheries, which are based on the mangrove resource and offshore coral reefs. This fact has been acknowledged by local fishermen who implemented the mangrove reafforestation project at Jetafe to the east.
Fauna:	An important staging and wintering area for migratory shorebirds. Small numbers of twelve species of shorebirds were observed between Inabanga Estuary and Tubigan in late April 1987; these included five Numenius madagascariensis. Nine Chinese Egrets Egretta eulophotes and two E. sacra were also found during the survey. Over 4,800 shorebirds of 14 species were recorded in mid-September 1987, along with about 300 Dendrocygna arcuata. The most abundant species were Tringa totanus, T. nebularia and Calidris ruficollis. Four Asian Dowitchers Limnodromus semipalmatus were particularly noteworthy.
Special floral values:	The site contains one of the largest areas of mangroves on Bohol, and is an excellent example of the mangrove/mudflat ecosystem in the Philippines. The mangroves are particularly diverse in species composition.
Research and facilities:	Some studies have been conducted by the Central Visayas Regional Projects Office and the Bureau of Forest Development, Region 7. Shorebird surveys were carried out by Interwader in April 1987 (Howes, 1987), and by the Asian Wetland Bureau Philippines in September 1987.
References:	Howes (1987).
Criteria for inclusion:	1b, 1e, 2a, 2c, 3b.
Source:	John R. Howes and Perla M. Magsalay.