The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has launched the Philippines Flyway Project, funded by a $3-million grant from the Global Environment Facility, to strengthen the conservation of vital wetland ecosystems that protect migratory bird habitats and local livelihoods.
The project aims to protect and sustainably manage Philippine wetlands that serve as critical stopovers for migratory birds traveling along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway (EAAF). It will also enhance biodiversity support sustainable livelihoods and boost climate resilience for millions of Filipinos.
The announcement was made during the ongoing 12th Meeting of Partners of the East Asian–Australasian Flyway Partnership, hosted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
“Wetlands in our region face mounting threats from reclamation degradation and urban expansion and the EAAF is considered the most threatened of the world’s major flyways,” said Scott Morris, ADB vice-president for East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
“Through the Philippines Flyway Project, ADB and DENR are working together to protect manage and restore these critical ecosystems—helping communities and nature thrive,” said Morris.
The DENR will implement the project, which focuses on three priority wetlands: Candaba in Luzon, Lake Mainit and Sibugay Wetlands in Mindanao.
It will strengthen the protection management and restoration of degraded habitats in these wetlands. It will also build local capacity enhance site management plans and promote sustainable livelihoods that align conservation with development goals.
The Philippines Flyway Project is part of the ADB’s Regional Flyway Initiative (RFI), launched in 2021 to mobilize $3 billion over the next decade across 11 developing countries in Asia and the Pacific to conserve priority wetlands along the EAAF.
The RFI seeks to develop long-term financing models that boost community resilience through nature-based solutions to extreme weather disasters, such as those recently experienced in central Philippines.
More than 20 migratory waterbird species depend on wetlands in the Philippines as key stopover and wintering sites.
The country is home to 10 Ramsar wetlands of international importance and seven Flyway Network Sites that host major seabird colonies such as the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park.
