NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Nov. 21 (PIA6) – – Thousands of migratory birds from Siberia, China and Australia pass by, feed and even breed in the wetlands of the province particularly the Bago up to Ilog area.
Director for Field Operations of the Philippine Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Incorporated Lisa J. Paguntalan approximates there are about 109,000 of migratory shorebirds in the area for the month of January alone, a count more than that the whole of Manila Bay, the highest concentration for these migratory birds.
“Bago-Ilog coastal wetlands host the most number of migratory shorebirds passing through its flyway. About 73 species of migratory shorebirds passes this way every year and these birds stay within these wetlands for about six months before they back to Siberia or China to breed,” Paguntalan said.
According to Paguntalan, Olango Island in Cebu is most popular when it comes to migratory shorebirds where they have 20,000-30,000 birds passing its flyway every year although lesser in number compared to that of the province.
Rare greenshank, an endangered species and rarely sighted in the Philippines was also recorded to be found only in Tibsoc wetland in San Enrique and Pontevedra towns since 2012.
Joy M. Navarro, Ecosystem Management Specialist of the Biodiversity Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said wetlands regulate ecosystem services like filtration of pollution going to the sea especially in Negros where you have a lot of tidal or mud flats that not only serve the migratory birds for food but it is also the womb of the sea where fishes spawn.
“Wetlands are very import in terms of ecosystem services because these absorb water. So whenever there are flooding, when you have wetlands that are in a sense “protected” they absorb so much water that it actually controls flooding. Many of these wetlands are also protection against storm surges like mangroves, mud flats, coral reefs and sea grass beds protection and safety against climate change,” Paguntalan explained.
Although coastal wetlands are all threatened due to development and urban settlers, Negros, according to Paguntalan’s assessment have better wetlands in terms of species on biodiversity because the number of birds they are actually supporting is an indicator of the richness of these wetlands.*(JSC/EAD-PIA6 Negros Occidental)