MALOLOS CITY—Extreme winter conditions in colder countries has driven migratory birds to different wetlands in the country, but conservationists and bird watchers fear that aggressive developments and human activities will further drive away water birds.
This came as the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP) will conduct another census of water birds at the Candaba Swamp in Pampanga on Sunday, January 23..
Dubbed as Asian Waterbird Census, the annual activity is usually conducted in the first three weeks of January.
Michael Lu, chair of the WBCP said in a telephone interview yesterday, that they are set to conduct another census of water birds at the Candaba Swamp, one of the identified migratory birds habitat in Central Luzon.
“We expect to see more birds this year because we have colder winter this year which is partly felt in the country,” Lu said.
However, he is also maintaining his reservation that actual census this year might be lower compared to previous years.
Records showed that number of water birds in Candaba Swamp has consistently dropped in the last three years.
In 2009, a total of 17,000 water birds were counted at the swamp, but it dropped to 12,613 in 2009; and to 11,000 last year.
According to Lu, aggressive developments in identified wetlands are the main contributing factors in the decline in the number of birds.
He cited developments along the Manila Bay where mud flats and wetlands were reclaimed.
“The more we wetland and mudflats we reclaim, the smaller habitat we leave for the waterbirds,” he said.
In Candaba, he noted that human activity like hunting contributed to the decrease in numbers of migratory birds staying on the swamp.
The same was echoed by Wetlands International, a global organization that works to sustain and restore wetlands and their resources for people and biodiversity.
In its 2010 report entitled, State of the World’s Waterbirds, the Wetlands International said that “Waterbird Index shows that the status of waterbird populations remains poor, and globally, as reported in the recently published Global Biodiversity Outlook, 44% of known populations are decreasing and only 17% are increasing.”
This came as the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP) will conduct another census of water birds at the Candaba Swamp in Pampanga on Sunday, January 23..
Dubbed as Asian Waterbird Census, the annual activity is usually conducted in the first three weeks of January.
Michael Lu, chair of the WBCP said in a telephone interview yesterday, that they are set to conduct another census of water birds at the Candaba Swamp, one of the identified migratory birds habitat in Central Luzon.
“We expect to see more birds this year because we have colder winter this year which is partly felt in the country,” Lu said.
However, he is also maintaining his reservation that actual census this year might be lower compared to previous years.
Records showed that number of water birds in Candaba Swamp has consistently dropped in the last three years.
In 2009, a total of 17,000 water birds were counted at the swamp, but it dropped to 12,613 in 2009; and to 11,000 last year.
According to Lu, aggressive developments in identified wetlands are the main contributing factors in the decline in the number of birds.
He cited developments along the Manila Bay where mud flats and wetlands were reclaimed.
“The more we wetland and mudflats we reclaim, the smaller habitat we leave for the waterbirds,” he said.
In Candaba, he noted that human activity like hunting contributed to the decrease in numbers of migratory birds staying on the swamp.
The same was echoed by Wetlands International, a global organization that works to sustain and restore wetlands and their resources for people and biodiversity.
In its 2010 report entitled, State of the World’s Waterbirds, the Wetlands International said that “Waterbird Index shows that the status of waterbird populations remains poor, and globally, as reported in the recently published Global Biodiversity Outlook, 44% of known populations are decreasing and only 17% are increasing.”
