Oceanus Conservation

Oceanus Conservation We are a science-driven, community-focused non-profit organization aims to restore and conserve blue carbon habitats in the Philippines!

Happy Dugong Day! 🌊💙We celebrated these gentle, elusive giants—sea cows or "duyong" as we call it—with kids and the Sang...
28/05/2026

Happy Dugong Day! 🌊💙

We celebrated these gentle, elusive giants—sea cows or "duyong" as we call it—with kids and the Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council) from Marihatag, Surigao del Sur. Through laughter and stories, the participants learned that duyongs may be shy, but they’re gentle guardians of our seagrass meadows too. Small moments like these remind us that protecting the ocean starts with understanding and caring for the life that calls it home.

✨ A huge thank you to the youth council and volunteers for joining us, and to the LGU and BLGU of Marihatag, Surigao del Sur, for supporting the activities of our ongoing project, Dugong Bughaw, which focuses on dugongs and seagrass conservation.

🔗 Learn more about the project here: https://www.oceanusconservation.org/hope-for-sea-cows-local-fishers-become-guardians-of-dugongs-in-lianga-bay-philippines/

📸 Photos and videos of the participants were taken with their consent, and parents'/guardians' consent for minors.

It's World Turtle Day! 🐢Picture this: A green sea turtle grazing through the seagrass meadow it calls home. It keeps the...
23/05/2026

It's World Turtle Day! 🐢

Picture this: A green sea turtle grazing through the seagrass meadow it calls home. It keeps the seagrass short and healthy — helping it grow back even stronger.

That meadow is more than just turtle food. It's a home. A nursery. A shield for our coastlines. One cannot thrive without the other. 🌊💙

So when we protect seagrass meadows, we're not just saving plants. We're saving the turtle's source of food. Their hiding spot. Their home.

🌟 Thanks to decades of dedicated conservation efforts focused on sea turtles, the Green Sea Turtle has been reclassified from Critically Endangered to Least Concern. That's real progress. That's proof that we're on the right path.

But the work isn't over. Protecting turtles means protecting our seagrass meadows, and protecting our future.

There's something about the mangroves holding the shoreline, or a turtle grazing in the seagrass meadows, that makes you...
22/05/2026

There's something about the mangroves holding the shoreline, or a turtle grazing in the seagrass meadows, that makes you feel small in the best way ✨

For the International Day of Biological Diversity, here's a reminder that every creature plays a part in this beautiful, fragile web of life.

A day to remember that these diverse species are our long time neighbors, still doing their thing, sometimes making us stop and stare in awe.

Here's to the weird, the wild, the wobbly, the wonderful, to the ones who were here long before us and who we're lucky enough to share this blue planet with. We owe them a space to thrive, not just survive. 🌏

Go outside. Look closer. Learn the names of life around you! 🌿 🌊

On , we’re spotlighting the incredible but vulnerable species that still survive within or near our project areas: the ...
15/05/2026

On , we’re spotlighting the incredible but vulnerable species that still survive within or near our project areas: the rare "gapas-gapas", the gentle Dugong, the rugged Lobed cactus coral, and the distinctive Philippine Duck.

Each one plays a vital role in its ecosystem, from seagrass meadows to coastal forests and coral gardens. Protecting their habitats isn’t just about saving a single species; it’s about preserving entire life-support systems. 🌊 🌳

Because conservation and change starts with knowing what’s at stake

A critical window of opportunity — and we’re moving through it with hope.On 13 May 2026, Oceanus Conservation, together ...
15/05/2026

A critical window of opportunity — and we’re moving through it with hope.

On 13 May 2026, Oceanus Conservation, together with Global Mangrove Alliance Philippines, Oceana Philippines, and Mangrove Matters PH attended the Climate Change Committee Meeting at the House of Representatives to express our strong support for the passage of a standalone National Coastal Greenbelt Act.

Camille Rivera, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Oceanus Conservation, shared why this moment matters: the Philippines is experiencing more storm surges and supertyphoons. Even with local coastal management plans in place, mangroves have too often been set aside for roads, seawalls, and other structures.

We know we can do better — and this bill shows the way.

Oceanus fully supports:
🌱 Integrating coastal greenbelts into local planning
🌱 Reverting abandoned fishponds back into thriving mangrove ecosystems
🌱 Community-based rehabilitation and long-term monitoring

We also see room to go further. For the Act to be truly transformative, it must explicitly include seagrass ecosystems, and mudflats within coastal greenbelt planning to avoid mudflats to be reclaimed (afforestation) and to avoid seagrass to be dredged.

This is urgent and we need it now, because because every storm season reminds us what’s at stake. But the hope is real, too. With the right law in place, we can protect our coasts, restore our blue forests, and build resilience from the ground up.

Together, we’re ready to make this happen.

This morning, the Global Mangrove Alliance Philippines participated in the initial deliberation of the proposed Integrat...
13/05/2026

This morning, the Global Mangrove Alliance Philippines participated in the initial deliberation of the proposed Integrated Coastal Management Act and National Coastal Greenbelt Act before the House Committee on Climate Change.

Representing GMAP, Dr. Annadel Cabanban of Wetlands International Philippines, Von Hernandez of Oceana Philippines, Frances Camille Rivera of Oceanus Conservation, and Leo Anthony Castro of Mangrove Matters PH delivered presentations and statements underscoring the urgent need for a standalone National Coastal Greenbelt Act.


Its World Migratory Bird Day! 🪶Celebrate these graceful creatures of the wind by taking part in citizen science through ...
09/05/2026

Its World Migratory Bird Day! 🪶

Celebrate these graceful creatures of the wind by taking part in citizen science through recorded observations, photographs, and videos because every bird record counts. 📷🐦

The Philippines is a bird hotspot as part of the East Asian-Australian Flyway (EAAF), hosting over 50 million birds in key wetland ecosystems - which includes mangroves 🍃

Protection of these sanctuaries and refuge is the first step to protecting these birds, especially with threatened species like the Chinese Egret, and Bar-tailed Godwit, to name a few of the birds we've seen nearby or at our project sites.

🤔 Curious about what we're doing about this? Read more about it in this conservation blog in our website: https://www.oceanusconservation.org/securing-the-skies-how-a-global-partnership-is-protecting-our-migratory-birds/

Here's a combo you didn't see coming! They really benefit from each other 😉Let's show some appreciation to our furry cri...
06/05/2026

Here's a combo you didn't see coming! They really benefit from each other 😉

Let's show some appreciation to our furry critters of the night who help our mangroves thrive and bloom, especially during flowering and fruiting season! Our mangroves won't be the same without them 🌱🦇

🤔 Did you know they have a favorite mangrove species to pollinate? Read more about it in this article here: https://www.oceanusconservation.org/bats-help-keep-mangroves-alive/

We admit, some days it's easy to get lost in the numbers, reports, meetings, and deadlines. But when we look back and sc...
22/04/2026

We admit, some days it's easy to get lost in the numbers, reports, meetings, and deadlines. But when we look back and scroll through photos like these, we are reminded of what all of this is for 💚

The mud. The boat rides. The long wait before low tide. The heat and the sun. The bird songs. The community. The kids.

All within this beautiful breathing Earth that we call home. Here's to remembering, and aligning back to our purpose. 🌏🌿

📣 We are back again with the 12th annual Mangrove Photography Awards 2026!We can’t wait to see your best wildlife, under...
15/04/2026

📣 We are back again with the 12th annual Mangrove Photography Awards 2026!

We can’t wait to see your best wildlife, underwater, landscape, and conservation photos from mangrove ecosystems. It’s free to enter, with your chance at $7,000 in cash prizes and more.

An initiative of Mangrove Action Project (MAP), a US-based non-profit advancing science-backed, community-led mangrove conservation and restoration, the awards showcase the importance and the fragility of mangrove ecosystems through deeply placed, visual storytelling.

Here’s what you need to know 👇

✏️ Entries are FREE and open to all from Wednesday, 1 April.

🐊 Photographers can enter any of 6 categories: Wildlife, Underwater, Landscape, People, Threats, and Conservation Stories (Portfolio).

🏆 Winners will be awarded in each category, in addition to an overall Mangrove Photographer of the Year, Young Mangrove Photographer of the Year, and a People’s Choice Award, with added UNESCO Award, Emirates Award, and Arabian Gulf Award.

Entries close Monday, 1 June 2026 ➡️ [www.photography.mangroveactionproject.org]

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Unit 404, La Fuerza Building 2, Chino Roces Avenue
Makati
1229

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+639178942708

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