Whenever we pass areas that boast of terrace farming (or agricultural farming), I marvel at these terraces carved into the mountainside. How long did it take to make those terraces? How many people were involved? Did they start from top to bottom or from bottom to top?

If you look at pictures of terraces, they look like a wide, wide staircase. From a distance you think they are steps. But when you get closer, you find that they are quite large flat tracts of land on which just about anything can be grown. The rice terraces of Banaue (the Philippines) are a sight. Terraces are also seen in other parts of the world. They are easy to maintain, and are known to conserve water by preventing runoff.

Mangroves are also another sight that never fail to intrigue me. I wonder at their roots being exposed like that, but then that’s how they breathe. Mangroves act as natural dikes, prevent erosion, and protect our towns/villages and inhabitants along the shoreline from sea storms and floods. They also form the breeding grounds for a spectrum of aquatic and bird species, and are known to cleanse and purify the water system.

Mangroves “thrive and survive” in salt water. They dot the coastlines of tropical and subtropical areas. Their conservation, however, is at stake (as is the case with most natural resources today). They are either being polluted (for example, by oil spills) or being cut (for example, their wood can be used for burning or for building purposes).

Terraces are man-made; mangroves are not (perhaps man-destroyed?).