SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur (MindaNews/November 11) —The Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary (AMWS) has earned another international distinction after being designated as part of the East Asian–Australasian Flyway Site Network (EAAFP159) on November 10 in Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary near Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.
The recognition formally acknowledges Agusan Marsh as a critical stopover and refuge for migratory waterbirds that travel thousands of kilometers each year between their breeding and wintering grounds.
The recognition was made during the 12th Meeting of Partners (MOP12) of the East Asian–Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP), hosted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources–Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB).
This global acknowledgment identifies Agusan Marsh as a critical stopover and refuge for migratory waterbirds traveling thousands of kilometers each year across continents.
It joins more than 150 key wetlands recognized under the EAAFP network, which safeguards vital habitats along the migratory route spanning Alaska, Russia, East Asia, and Australia.
It now joins a global network of more than 150 wetlands vital to the survival of over 50 million migratory birds from 250 species that traverse the East Asian–Australasian Flyway (EAAF), stretching from Alaska and Russia to Australia and New Zealand.
Wetland of global importance
Located in Agusan del Sur, the sanctuary spans 14,835 hectares of freshwater wetlands composed of lakes, swamps, and river channels within the Agusan River Basin. It shelters more than 200 bird species, including the Philippine duck (Anas luzonica), great egret, whiskered tern, and several Arctic-breeding shorebirds.
Home to Manobo communities who have long depended on its rich ecosystem, Agusan Marsh was earlier listed as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance in 1999. The new EAAFP designation reaffirms its role as a biodiversity hotspot and safe haven for migratory species that cross international borders.
International cooperation
The East Asian–Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP), founded in 2006, promotes regional cooperation among governments, NGOs, and local communities to conserve migratory birds and their habitats.
During the recognition ceremony, officials from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the EAAFP Secretariat hailed the collaborative conservation efforts that made the designation possible.
Agusan Marsh joins the Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary in Cebu, the Las Piñas–Parañaque Critical Habitat, and the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in Palawan as Philippine sites under the EAAFP network. (Chris V. Panganiban/ MindaNews)
