Source : Sun Star, Philippines, 16 Jan 2006
By : DMF
  

Together with officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (DENR-PAWB), wildlife conservation groups counted 11,000 birds in the swamplands of Barangay Doña Simang in the town Sunday.

Town officials led by Mayor Jerry Pelayo welcomed members of the Wildbirds Club of the Philippines (WCP), Kaakbay ng Kalikasan Foundation (KKF), journalists, and spectators to his rest house that served as viewing deck for birdwatchers.

Carlo C. Custodio, DENR-PAWB Ecosystem Management chief specialist, said the counting of the migratory birds in the Candaba Swamp was in line with the Asian Waterbirds Census 2006.

Custodio said the Candaba Swamp counting is synchronized with the Global Waterbird Census conducted by bird authorities and wildlife groups in other countries throughout the world to determine the population of the birds.

He said the census, held from January 7 until January 22, is scheduled during a period when migration of birds is observed to be at its lowest and easier to count.

Mike Lu, WCP president, explained that the census is conducted to determine increases or decreases in the population of bird species.

Lu added that the latest data gathered is compared with those in previous counts and used in instituting programs that are necessary in preserving the balance of nature to prevent serious threats that may arise from an imbalance, such as the acceleration of reproduction of destructive insects.

He said very rare species, particularly the Chinese Pond Heron, which was among the 114 species counted last year, are still found in the Candaba swamplands.

Despite the conversion to ricelands of hundreds of hectares of the swamp, migration of birds at the Candaba swamp is expected to continue as the mix of ponds and grasses and trees around the place are preserved.

Custodio said much of the hospitability of the place to migratory birds is attributed to Pelayo, who is determined to maintain the existing environment as a nesting place or a bird sanctuary.

Alaine Pascua, KKF executive director, said his group is proposing the declaration of 500 hectares of the vast wetlands of Candaba swamp into a protected area for bird sanctuary. He said since hunting and poaching will be prohibited, the protected area would help maintain the bird population and provide another interesting tourist destination in the province.