What It Means To Lose Migratory Birds And Their Habitats In Manila Bay

Over half a century ago, life was teeming in Manila Bay.  Fisherfolks enjoy the bounty of the sea as it is blessed with a variety of fish and marine species.  Coastal residents gather seashells along its shores and the mangroves that nourish fish, shrimps and other organisms also act as a natural defense against strong typhoons, storm surges, and tsunamis. Birds come and go, and spread seeds of life.

Slowly, however, the government opted to change the bay’s  landscape  and sacrifice its ecosystem by allowing construction, seabed mining, reclamation and other destructive activities in Manila Bay to accommodate business, commerce, tourism, entertainment industry, human migration, etc.

There’s another kind of development that manages natural resources, promotes industrialization based on strong agriculture, and that disperses development throughout the country. But past administrations apparently did not choose this path.

 

Massive land reclamation

Thus, a few decades ago, some 3,000 hectares were reclaimed for the ambitious project that is now known as home to the SM Mall of Asia, the largest mall in the Philippines, Aseana City, an integrated mixed-use central business district serving the Bay Area, Entertainment City with Las Vegas-style casinos, amusement parks, theaters, office building, hotels, residential buildings and resorts.

Fast forward to 2024 – there are 22 island land reclamation projects waiting for final approval from the government.  In all, these will reclaim an estimated 5,000 hectares in Manila Bay, most along Roxas Boulevard.

Two of the projects – both in the Pasay City side of Manila Bay have already gotten an exemption from the blanket verbal order of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to suspend the land reclamation and seabed quarrying activities pending a cumulative impact assessment of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

 

Exciting and horrifying transformation

The massive transformation of Manila Bay is both exciting and horrifying.

Recent heavy rainfall induced by the southwest monsoon and tropical cyclones flooded most parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila.

But more than the urbanization of the once glorious Manila Bay, a favorite tourist spot for those who adore the beautiful sunset in this part of the world, the impact of these “developments” on people and the environment is just beginning.

The worst is yet to come.

Environmentalists and conservation advocates are already fretting as these reclamation projects in Manila Bay are threatening not only the way of life of people living in the coastal communities.  Hundreds of fishers and mussel growers in Cavite have been relocated over the years because of the R-1 Cavitex Extension Project that killed the coastal ecosystem in Bacoor to Kawit.

Today, to catch fish to bring food on the table, fishers had to go farther out of the shore and spend more on gasoline for their motorized bancas.  The gathering of sea shells, crabs, and other seafood also stopped decades ago as that portion of Manila Bay became more and more polluted.  Migratory birds also stopped visiting that part, as there was less to feed on because of the degradation of the coastal environment.

In Northern Manila Bay, the massive reclamation in Bulakan, Bulacan, for the construction of an international airport is threatening to take its toll on the migration of these long-distance flyers.

 

Decreasing friendly visitors

Several studies have indicated a decreasing trend in the number of these environment-friendly visitors, as well as the number of long-distance flying species, visiting Manila Bay in the last decade.

Only in 2021, the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines reported a decrease by nearly 20 percent of the visiting birds in Manila Bay compared to three years ago.

In 2021, volunteers of the group tallied 110,000 waterbirds.  Of the 60 species, over two-thirds are migratory and come from as far as Siberia and Alaska.  But the total is 25,000 birds short compared to the total number of birds tallied in 2019.

Fortunately, there is still one remaining spot for these migratory birds – the Las Pinas-Paranque Wetlands Park, formerly known as the Las Pinas-Paranaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area – one of 7 Ramsar Sites in the Philippines and a Protected Area which means by law, it must be set aside for conservation.

Even with this protection, however, the threat posed by the massive land reclamation is imminent.

 

Manila Bay:  Important bird habitat

Manila Bay is as important to migratory birds as it is to fish and other marine wildlife.

Animal migration is a common behavior in many animal groups, including birds.

Birds travel half across the world for their survival – to escape extreme weather conditions such as the cold winter.

The Philippines, which is located in the middle of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF), is an important migratory bird site.

The EAAF is one of the world’s largest migratory bird flight paths.  Because of its strategic location, it is a stopover point for millions of waterbirds, including threatened and near-threatened species that migrate to feed and breed each year.

Keeping the Philippines safe for these migratory birds is of utmost importance.

In the Philippines, as a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals or the Bonn Convention and the Convention on Wetlands, various measures are implemented under these international treaties for the protection and conservation of biological diversity, including migratory animals and their habitats.

 

Important stop over point

The Philippines is an important migratory bird site because it’s located in the middle of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF), one of the world’s largest migratory bird flight paths. The Philippines is a stopover point for millions of waterbirds, including threatened and near-threatened species, that migrate through the country each year.

In September, these migratory birds arrive, and they stay until February.  They will leave to return to their breeding grounds in the following weeks.

Migratory birds pick wetlands where there’s plenty of food to stay healthy as they prepare for their journey back home.

As they feed, these birds also leave feces – drops of nutrients – that nourish the water and soil and make it healthy to sustain life.

Over 50 million waterbirds migrate through the Philippines each year – some go as far as Central Luzon to as far as Pampanga and other wetlands where they feel safe, and where there’s plenty of food for everybody.

 

Altering natural environments

The massive change in the landscape of Manila Bay – altered landscapes because of the massive dump-and-fill that changes the chemical composition and behavior of its waters, impeding the flow of water from inland towards the sea, and affecting the natural circulation to cleanse the environment impacts the coastal ecosystem in its entirety.

Because of the change in the landscape, as well as the destruction of the natural habitats, these migratory birds tend to look for other areas where they can feed throughout their long “vacation” in the Philippines.

Migratory birds are key indicator species of the health of the ecosystem.  The more birds visit a wetland, it means the healthier the ecosystem is.

 

Important ecosystem functions

The important role migratory birds play is recognized not only in ecology, but tourism and the local economy as well.  In the Pampanga wetlands, these birds attract local and foreign tourists who frequent the area for their bird-watching and photography activities.

These migratory birds also operate as natural pest control agents.  They aid in the prevention of locust attacks.

Bird poops are organic fertilizers and aid the growth of plants in the environment.

More importantly, as birds are also nature’s farmers, they also act as seed dispersal agents and aid flower pollination in the landscapes, ensuring healthy and beautiful seascapes and landscapes that attract tourism and investment.

In sum, without these birds coming and going to spread seeds of life and perform their critical functions in the ecosystem, the Manila Bay that’s used to be teeming with life will soon be gone, and we’ll all be negatively affected. (30)