WETLANDS are unheard body of waters to some, but they play a critical part in our natural environment. They protect the shores from wave action, prevent flooding, and serve as a habitat for terrestrial and aquatic wildlife species.
In Negros Occidental, a coastal wetland named Negros Occidental Coastal Wetlands Conservation Area (NOCWCA) is a contiguous wetlands area with a coastline of 109.52 kilometers that covers the municipalities of Pulupandan, Valladolid, San Enrique, Pontevedra, Hinigaran, Binalbagan, Ilog and the cities of Bago, Himamaylan, and Kabankalan.
Named as the seventh Ramsar site in the Philippines and the fourth East Asian Australasian Flyway Network Site in the Philippines, NOCWCA is one of the richest and most diverse coastal resources in Western Visayas, particularly mangroves. It is home to economically important species such as oysters, green mussels, nylon shells, angel wings, shells, shrimps, and crabs.
Its waters are home to three species of globally threatened marine turtles â the critically endangered hawksbill turtle, endangered green sea turtle, and the vulnerable olive ridley sea turtle. The endangered Irrawaddy dolphin also migrates across its coastal areas at a certain period of the year.
NOCWCA is a sanctuary for at least 80 species of water birds including the endemic and threatened Philippine duck, a globally significant population of black-tailed godwit, great knot, herons, sandpipers, egrets, bitterns, stilts, and other species of water birds that migrate in the area.
It also supports 1.5 percent of the global population of the endangered great knot and 2.1 percent of the near-threatened subspecies of black-tailed godwit.
The wetland serves as a habitat for more than 20,000 water birds at a time, making it a crucial site for bird conservation. It also has rare bird species visiting the area including Eurasian oystercatcher, Eurasian wigeon, endangered far eastern curlew, endangered spotted greenshank, and the worldâs most critically endangered shorebird species â the spoon-billed sandpiper.
Indeed, NOCWCA is rich in terrestrial and coastal biodiversity but it sadly faces some potential threats including the conversion of mangrove forests and other wetlands to commercial, residential or aquaculture uses, pollution by industrial waste, coliform contamination, and overfishing in some areas.
Wetlands highly affect our lives through their various importance such as their provision of a great volume of food with a high level of nutrients that attracts a lot of animal species. They also store carbon through its plants and soil thereby functioning as a carbon sink and prevent floods by functioning as natural sponges that trap and store water, lowering flood heights and reduces soil erosion.
They are also a good source of fresh water, and as we face a growing freshwater crisis, saving the wetlands isnât too late at all. This yearâs theme: âWetlands and Waterâ of World Wetlands Day highlights its connection in an inseparable co-existence that is vital to life, well-being, and the health of the planet.
âProtecting our wetlands here in Western Visayas is as important as protecting ourselves from coronavirus disease that causes the pandemic we are facing nowadays. It is home to a wide range of plant species, water animals, and also sustains the livelihood of people nearby. As carbon sink, wetland helps mitigate climate change,â said Francisco Milla, Jr., regional executive director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Region VI./DENR6
