Tanay was settled by early Austronesian people. Shortly after the conquest and subjugation of Manila by the Spaniards and the surrounding lake areas by Juan de Salcedo in 1570-1574, Franciscan missionaries arrived to Christianize the inhabitants of what is now the Morong-Pililla area. In 1583, both Morong and Pililla were created as separate towns with Tanay forming part of Pililla.
Tanay was founded as a separate pueblo (town) in 1606 under the name “Monte de Tan-ay”. In 1620, administration was moved to San Antonio (now called Inalsan or Pantay) and Tandang Kutyo. In 1638, the town was burned during an uprising of Chinese living in the area, and the town was rebuilt in 1640 at the present day location.
In 1747, the town of Tanay consisted of only eight barangays, namely Nuestra Senora del Rosario, Sa Josep, San Ildefonso de Tanay, San Francisco de Maytubig, San Pedro de Alcantara, San Lucas y San Antonio, San Apostol and San Agustin de Balugbog.
In 1853, a new political subdivision was formed. The town of Tanay together with Morong, Baras, Pililla, Angono, Binangonan and Jalajala form the Province of La Laguna, with the capital at Morong. This district was later changed to Distrito Politico-Militar de Morong after four years.
Tanay became a Municipality in 1894 as an effect of the Spanish Maura Law. The first election of Public Office took place in 1895–1898 and 1898–1900 under the Revolutionary Government of the Philippines.
The link between land and marine environments, wetlands provide significant benefits to humans and ecosystems. The trees, shrubs, and grasses that dominate wetlands serve as a defense barrier, shielding coastal areas from storms, waves and natural disasters. Wetlands also prevent coastal erosion and filter sediments and pollution out of marine environments. Mangrove forests, a type of wetland commonly found along tropical coastlines, are especially beneficial due to their ability to store even more carbon than terrestrial forests. These valuable wetlands are being lost as a result of drainage for agricultural or commercial development, rising sea levels and drought brought on by climate change, and pollution.
Forests foster extraordinary biodiversity, providing habitats for over 80% of the world’s terrestrial plant and animal species. Forests are an essential source of food, fuel, and building materials for many rural communities and they support the livelihoods of approximately 1.6 billion people around the world. The ability of trees to store carbon makes forest conservation an important factor in mitigating climate change. But forests all across the globe face growing threats of deforestation due to irresponsible development, agricultural expansion, unsustainable logging and the failure of land protection policies.
