Countries worldwide has been celebrating World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) holidays since its launching in 2006 to encourage the worldwide conservation of migratory birds and their environments.
The Philippines is among the countries that as been observing the WMBD. This year, the Biodiversity Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-BMB) spearheaded the country’s celebration on October 11.
With the theme ‘Shared Spaces: Creating Bird-Friendly Cities and Communities,’ the event held at the Las Piñas Parañaque Wetland Park (LPPWP) was highlighted by the inauguration of a new Bird Hide donated by the Megawide Foundation PH.
The Bird Hide gives bird watchers, photographers and researchers a perfect spot to quietly appreciate the park’s ‘visitors’ during the migration season.
The LPPWP along Roxas Boulevard is a protected area and one of the country’s Ramsar Sites, or wetland of international importance.
It hosts hundreds of thousands of migratory birds that frequent the Philippines through the East Asia-Australasia Flyway, a major route for over 50 million migratory waterbirds travelling between the Arctic Circle, and Australia and New Zealand.
It is considered a vital ecosystem supporting a vast number of species and benefiting millions of people through its wetlands, crucial for agriculture, fisheries, and ecotourism.
Wetlands along the flyway, including those of the Philippines, provide critical ecosystem services to nearly 200 million people and support livelihoods.
Urgent need for action
This year’s WMBD theme underscores the importance of designing and managing urban environments that support both birds and people, a global campaign organized by the United Nations and international partners. The campaign kicked off with this year’s first migratory birds’ peak day on May 10.
The campaign urges collective efforts to secure the future of migratory birds in and around urban environments amid alarming bird population declines because of various threats-including bird collisions, light pollution, and bird mortality caused by free-roaming pets.
Other mentioned threats are unbridled development that cause habitat loss and fragmentation, and household pesticides and invasive species.
According to BirdLife International, 49 percent of all bird species-including migratory birds-are declining globally, and about one in eight species is threatened with extinction.
A 2024 study published in Global Ecology and Biogeography reported that four in five of the world’s bird species are unable to thrive in human-dominated environments.
Toward bird-friendly cities and communities
Governments, businesses, and individuals need to create bird-friendly cities and communities, including support for bird-friendly urban planning, by minimizing the destruction of important bird habitats in urban development.
Planting native plants provides food and shelter for birds, and supports pollinators like bees and butterflies, which are essential to biodiversity.
To prevent collisions, window films or patterned glass should be used to reduce bird-window collisions, and reduction of artificial light at night to protect migrating birds.
The global campaign also promotes organic farming methods to control pests, and help protect insects and clean water that birds rely on.
‘Millions of migratory birds around the world spend a key part of their life cycles within cities and other built communities-whether for breeding, feeding or as a stop along their migratory pathways,’ said Amy Fraenkel, executive secretary of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.
‘Nature does not end at the city limit; we share our urban and community spaces with a hugely diverse range of wild species of birds. Ensuring that our cities and communities are developed and maintained in a manner that supports migratory birds is not only vital for their survival, but also benefits people in countless ways,’ Fraenkel said.
For her part, Jennifer George, chief executive of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership, said: ‘World Migratory Bird Day underscores the critical concept of ‘Shared Spaces’-the interconnected habitats within our communities and across the globe. Places that both people and migratory birds rely on for survival, development, recreation, and agriculture. A delicate balance.’
‘Witnessing the recent loss of vital roosting trees in my own community served as a stark reminder of our capacity to disrupt these essential ecosystems. This raises a fundamental question: where will these birds now find refuge? Let us raise awareness of these shared spaces,’ George said.
The Philippines’ programs
The Philippines protects migratory birds and their habitats through various programs. There are several laws that protect the environment- friendly visitors.
Besides the LPPWP, there are 10 other Ramsar Sites in various parts of the country, which are supposed to provide a haven for migratory birds.
These are Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary in Cebu, Naujan Lake National Park in Oriental Mindoro, Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in Palawan, Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary in Agusan del Sur, Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park in Palawan, Negros Occidental Coastal Wetlands Conservation Area, Sasmuan Pampanga Coastal Wetlands in Pampanga, Sibugay Weland Nature Reserve in in Zamboanga Sibugay, and Del Carmen Mangrove Reserve in Siargao Island Protected Landscape and Seascape.
The country’s over 240 protected areas also provide a haven for these visiting birds.
Hunting, illegal wildlife trade
Unfortunately, legal protections remain ‘only on paper,’ said Emerson Sy, a conservation advocate.
Hunting, trapping, and harvesting birds for trophy and illegal wildlife trade persist.
‘Winter visitors such as the Japanese sparrowhawk, Chinese sparrowhawk, and grey-faced buzzard are commonly poached and trafficked in the Philippines,’ Sy said.
Alex Tiongco of Raptorwatch Network Philippines said the ecosystem function of raptors that migrate to the Philippines to escape the cold winter in October and November is threatened by hunting.
‘There are a total of 13 raptors that frequent the country between October and November,’ Tiangco told the Business Mirror in a phone interview on October 16.
He said there are six endemic raptors in the country, 12 residents, 13 migratory raptors, and four mixed migrants and residents.
These raptors, he said, face various threats along their way to the various migratory bird sites all over the country.
Raptor species, with the smallest the size of a pigeon, play an important ecosystem function during their migration.
‘They eat insects, rats, and snakes, and are very helpful. Little do farmers know that these raptors are helping their farms,’ he said partly in Filipino.
Tiangco pointed out the need to raise awareness on the importance of the raptors so the farmers could continue to benefit from their existence.
Born to travel
‘Some birds were born to travel. Around a fifth-some 2,000 of 11,000 described species-are migratory species,’ said Gregg Yan, executive director of Best Alternatives.
‘Like people, some birds take ‘international flights’ to find greener pastures for feeding and breeding areas-especially when their home countries get colder,’ Yan told the BusinessMirror via Messenger on October 15.
Yan said migration comes with inherent risks.
‘Imagine traveling thousands of kilometers only to find that the vast swamp that once readily offered food and shelter has been drained and turned into a subdivision. It’s like knocking out a gas station along a long-distance route. The best thing to do is to ensure that these ‘gas stations’ and ‘pit stops’ are properly protected.’ he said.
Besides the Ramsar sites, Yan added Candaba swamp in Pampanga among migratory birds’ pit stops in the country.
‘These birds help keep pests like insects under control, while pollinating plants and helping disperse tree seeds worldwide,’ Yan said.
Protecting habitats
International biodiversity expert Theresa Mundita S. Lim underscored that the Philippines, situated along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, hosts numerous wetlands that serve as vital stopover and wintering habitats for migratory waterbirds traveling between their breeding and non-breeding grounds.
‘Recognizing its ecological significance, the country has long been at the forefront of international efforts to protect these habitats,’ Lim, a former DENR-BMB director and executive director of the Asean Centre for Biodiversity, told the BusinessMirror via Messenger on October 16.
She noted that in 2017, the Philippines hosted the 12th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS COP 12) in Manila, the first CMS COP ever held in Asia.
Championing habitat conservation
During the meeting, the Philippines introduced and successfully championed a resolution on the conservation of coastal habitats as key ecosystems supporting migratory species.
‘The resolution was based on the urgent need to address the rapid degradation of coastal and marine ecosystems-such as mangroves, seagrasses, and tidal flats-that serve as critical feeding and resting sites for migratory birds. These habitats not only sustain biodiversity but also provide essential ecosystem services, such as protection from storm surges and support for fisheries,’ she explained.
Lim pointed out that the adoption of the resolution paved the way for the creation of the World Coastal Forum, a global platform designed to foster dialogue, coordination, and cooperative action for the sustainable management of coastal ecosystems.
‘It underscored the Philippines’ leadership at that time in advocating nature-based, ecosystem-level approaches that integrate biodiversity conservation with climate resilience, food security, and human well-being,’ she said.