Mangroves at Snake Island

The only thing you can do here at Snake Island apart from taking photos is to walk on Snake Island. The nice little sandbar here at El Nido stretches all the way to the mainland of Palawan which isn’t really that big a distance. However, to get a taste of how it would look like if you were walking on water this would probably be the closest thing. One part of the sandbar is lower than the other as a result, the other side is much drier. However, that side also has its own surprises. A foreigner coming back told us that there was something interesting in the other side and we naturally decided to go and find out.

It seems that the opposite side was lined with mangroves. The mangroves grow on shallow salt water beaches like this one and it is a fertile breeding ground for fish. Palawan has an abundance of mangroves and they locals attribute the abundance of fish or Palawan to the mangroves. Mangroves provide a stable habitat for organisms needing an anchor. The muddy bottom is home to crustaceans. This in turn attracts fish and bigger fish and so on. The mangroves also help prevent erosion of the shore as well as serving as a buffer against any tidal surges. The mangroves here at Snake Island look pristine and they don’t seem to be in any danger right now. I think there is much more money to be made from ferrying tourists than for the people to be destroying its habitat.

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