Sasmuan Mayor Nardo Velasco and PENRO chief Laudemir S. Salac unveil the Ramsar Site marker at the Sasmuan Bangkung Malapad Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area. Contributed photo
SASMUAN, Pampanga – The Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office in Pampanga celebrated the 1st anniversary of the declaration of the Sasmuan Pampanga Coastal Wetlands (SPCW) as a Ramsar Site on Feb. 2.
The celebration mas marked by the unveiling of the Ramsar Site Marker led by PENRO chief Laudemir S. Salac at the Sasmuan Bangkung Malapad Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (SBMCHEA) to solidify its status as an important wetland in the area.
“The development and protection of the SPCW will not stop until it becomes a widely known ecotourism spot in the Philippines.” Salac said. Also present in the event is Sasmuan Mayor Nardo Velasco who gave his sincerest appreciation to the DENR for such development in Sasmuan.
The SPCW, with an area of over 3, 667 hectares, was recognized on Feb. 2, 2021 as a Wetland of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention. Within this wetland is the 405-hectare SBMCHEA.
The SPCW is the 8th Ramsar Site in the Philippines and the first in Central Luzon and in Pampanga.
Hailed as a “Wetland of International Importance,” the SPCW hosts ecosystems like mudflats, mangroves, and riverine habitats that serve as important stopover points for migratory waterbirds on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.
Several unique wildlife such as the endangered Nordmann’s or spotted greenshank, Black-faced spoonbill, Far Eastern curlew, and the endemic Philippine duck can be sighted here.
The wetland also supports different flora such as the vulnerable 𝘈𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘢 𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘢, locally known as Api-api, and the Sonneratia alba which provides shelter to different marine species of the area.
