Philippines, haven for migratory birds

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

Published in the Business Mirror, December 28, 2015 

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/philippines-haven-for-migratory-birds/

 

First of two parts

EVERY year the Philippines is visited by a variety of migratory birds. Being part of the East Asian/Austrasian Flyway, the country has become an important staging and wintering area for these amazing long-distance flyers, which travel halfway across the world in search of food and temporary habitats.

The peak months for birds migrating to the country’s south are from September to November, while those traveling north occur between February and April. 

 Most of these birds come all the way from China, Japan and as far as Siberia.  

Birds of different sizes and colors start arriving in various sites, searching for the ideal temporary habitats where they can feed and roost, finding their way in some of the country’s wetlands.

There are a number of sites in the Philippines that attract these regular visitors; adding aesthetic beauty to the environment; bringing in more tourists, including birdwatchers, during bird migration until April, when the birds start to fly back to their country of origin.

In Photo: Migratory birds in Candaba Swamp, in Pampanga. Image Credits: DENR Strategic Communication and Initiatives Service

Laws protecting migratory birds

There are environmental laws which protect migratory birds. They include the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act (Republic Act 9147).

A signatory to two important international treaties—the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat or the Ramsar Convention; and the Convention for the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals or the Bonn Convention—the Philippines is committed to help in the global effort to save migratory birds from extinction.

Ecosystem indicator

According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the presence of migratory birds is an indicator of the condition of the migratory bird-sites. 

“Birds tend to stay if an area has an abundant food to feed on and as long as they remain undisturbed during their visit,” said Director Theresa Mundita Lim of the DENR’s Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB), underscoring the need to protect the country’s migratory bird-sites. Experts explain that driven by sheer instinct, the migratory birds make an annual escape from the cold winter of the temperate regions to warmer areas to feed and breed, some finding their way into the country.

Biologically important species

The importance of migratory birds has been recognized by the United Nations’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

In a statement on World Migratory Bird Day on May 12 and 13, 2012, FAO said, “Migratory birds serve key functions in the interconnected systems that keep nature healthy, including pollination and seed dispersal of crops for human and livestock consumption; pest regulation; and as an aesthetic source of pride for cultures across the globe.”

 FAO had expressed alarm over the threats to migratory birds due to the consequence of human activities—environmental pollution, toxins, pesticides, electrified power lines, wind turbines and other physical changes to landscape and habitats. “Encroachment from human settlement, agriculture and poaching—be it for subsistence food, a means of income or for high profits in illegal game hunting—are destroying habitat for all wildlife species, including migratory birds,” the FAO statement added.

All-important wetlands

There are a total of 117 important bird areas in the Philippines identified by BirdLife International, covering a total land area of 2,739,729 hectares. The country also has 10 endemic bird areas.

There are currently six Ramsar Sites in the Philippines, which are recognized as wetlands of international importance. These are Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecosystem Area, Naujan Lake National Park, Puerto Princesa Subterrranean River National Park, Tubattaha Reefs Natural Park, Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary and Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary.

The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands. It was signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971.  Most of these areas are wetlands that serve as temporary habitats of migratory birds. Wetlands are defined by Ramsar Convention as among the most diverse and productive ecosystems that provide essential services and supply all fresh water.

 Wetlands include all lakes and rivers, underground aquifers, swamps and marshes, wet grasslands, peatlands, oases, estuaries, deltas and tidal flats, mangroves and other coastal areas, coral reefs, and all human-made sites, such as fish ponds, rice paddies, reservoirs and salt pans, according to Ramsar Convention.

Threats and challenges

While the country is one of 17 mega-diverse countries in the world because of its rich variety of ecosystem, and flora and fauna, it is also among the hottest of biodiversity hot spots because of the rapid rate of destruction of ecosystems, resulting in biodiversity loss.

BirdLife International listed the Philippines as one of the top 10 countries with alarming threats to birds, both endemic and shared species.  

In its Red List update in 2012, the country ranked ninth, with 60 endemic globally threatened species and 17 shared globally threatened species.

Joining the Philippines with alarming threats to its bird species are Brazil, Peru, Indonesia, Colombia, Ecuador, China, the United States, India and New Zealand.

Citing various studies, the Asean Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) said that biodiversity loss in the Philippines is more pronounced with its shrinking forest cover.  

From the 17 million hectares of forest recorded in 1935, the country now only has over 6 million hectares, said Rolando Inciong, head of ACB communication and public affairs unit.

However, with the implementation of the National Greening Program (NGP), the DENR claims that the country’s forest cover has increased and now covers around 8 million hectares. For mangrove forests, the ACB said that only 149,000 hectares remain from 450,000 hectares in mangrove forests in 1918.  More than half of the country’s wetlands of international importance covering 14,000 square meter kilometers are also threatened, Inciong said.

Protecting wetlands, protecting birds

Lim said the DENR-BMB is closely working with various stakeholders, including local government units, private sector, scientific community, academe and civil society for the protection and conservation of the country’s biodiversity. 

Through the country’s 240 protected areas, which covers a total land area of over 5 million hectares, the DENR-BMB ensures the protection of threatened wildlife and their habitats.

The DENR also conducts regular monitoring of threatened species that include endemic and native birds as part of the effort to prevent their extinction. During migration, the DENR-BMB, through the DENR’s field offices, also keep track of the migratory birds and their temporary habitats to prevent people from hunting them for food and illegal wildlife trade.

Counting ‘ibong dayo’

The DENR-BMB, together with its regional offices nationwide and hundreds of volunteers, conduct an annual bird count or census of migratory birds, known locally as ibong dayo, as part of the Asian Waterbird Census.

The annual census takes place every second and third week of January  in around 50 to 70 sites.

 According to Lim, DENR data from 2010 to 2015 showed that around 140 migratory waterbird species, with an average population of 325,000, visit the Philippines during the southward bird-migration season.

The bird-count data in the country in the 10 years shows an overall increase in birds, Lim said, but added that it does not indicate an increasing trend in bird populations. 

She attributed the overall increase in bird count to several factors—such as increase in the number of  counters from both the DENR  and volunteer groups, increase in the number of sites included in the waterbird count, as well as  improved capacity of those involved to  identify bird species and do bird counting.   

Nevertheless, Lim said the trend in status of certain migratory-bird population has been observed at specific migratory sites where they were affected by conversion and loss of habitats, especially inland wetlands, such as in Candaba Swamp in Pampanga.

Once stretching 32,000 hectares, the Candaba Swamp has been almost fully converted to agricultural lands. 

Before, she said around 30,000 wintering population of the Garganeys, a migratory duck, were recorded in the 1980s in Candaba. Today the number is down to approximately 3,000 individuals.

She said it is important to protect and maintain migratory sites as viable habitats to keep the birds coming.

Enhancing urban, rural landscapes

The increasing societal recognition of the aesthetic and recreational values of migratory birds, and the demand to protect their habitats also provide opportunity to enhance urban and rural landscapes, citing the Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area, Lim said.

The Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area, a Ramsar Site, was originally set aside for migratory birds. Consequently, such designation enabled the protection of the only remaining mangrove stand  in Metro Manila, as well as the protection of coastal beach and mudflats along Manila Bay, providing better protection  and buffer against storm surges, Lim said.

To be concluded