ADB launches PHL wetland protection program

THE Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it launched a $3-million project to conserve key wetland ecosystems in the Philippines that serve as vital habitats for migratory birds and sources of livelihood for local communities.

Funded by the Global Environment Facility, the Philippines Flyway Project will be implemented by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and will focus on Candaba in Central Luzon, Lake Mainit in northeastern Mindanao, and the Sibugay Wetlands on the Zamboanga Peninsula.

These key wetland ecosystems are stopovers for migratory birds traveling along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF).

The ADB said the project will strengthen the protection, management, and restoration of degraded wetland habitats, while also supporting local capacity-building, sustainable livelihood development, and improved site management.

“Wetlands in our region face mounting threats from reclamation, degradation, and urban expansion, and the EAAF is considered the most threatened of the world’s major flyways. Through the Philippines Flyway Project, ADB and DENR are working together to protect, manage, and restore these critical ecosystems — helping communities and nature thrive,” Scott Morris, ADB vice-president for East and Southeast Asia, was quoted as saying in a statement.

More than 20 migratory waterbird species rely on Philippine wetlands as stopover and wintering sites. The country currently has 10 wetlands of international importance and seven Flyway Network Sites that host major seabird colonies.

The project forms part of ADB’s Regional Flyway Initiative (RFI), launched in 2021 to mobilize $3 billion over the next decade for wetland conservation across 11 developing countries along the EAFF.

The RFI also aims to develop long-term financing models that boost community resilience through nature-based solutions to extreme weather disasters. — Vonn Andrei E. Villamiel