The area includes what is known as the Las Pinas Paranaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area, where naturalists have recorded more than 50 species of birds, including endangered ones.
According to sources, President Aquino's economic cluster had approved the reclamation plan espoused by the Philippine Reclamation Authority. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has also reportedly issued an environmental compliance certificate to clear the way for PRA to push through with the project.
This is what could happen to the area if the project does push through:
1. Making the place unnaturally inaccessible to seawater would devastate the ecology of the area where birds and other fauna rummage for food. The industrialized area will rod the migratory birds a stopover place after travelling a long way from countries like China, Siberia, Russia and Australia. Other marine species - the invertebrates, shells, and mollusks - would also die.
2. The reclamation project would generate too much noise (human and machines) and interference to the natural habitat of the other plants and wildlife that make up that environment. Once completed, the project will cut off much of the natural saltwater supply, leading to the destruction of the mangroves, one or two habitats, and the whole ecosystem of the place.
3. The industrialization of the area would destroy the marine resources that fishermen in Manila Bay rely on for their livelihood. Before the area where Mall of Asia now stands was reclaimed, fishermen used to catch an average of 15 fishes a day. Now, it's down to one to three fishes per day.
4. The planned reclamation will impede the natural flow of water out from the Paranaque and Las Pinas rivers, leaving a wider flood-prone area in Paranaque, Las Pinas, Bacoor, and other adjoining areas. The coastal lagoon serves as an outlet for the two major waterways that aLSO drain rainwater out from Makati and Pasay.
Some food for thought:
ReplyDeleteThe Philippines is a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CMS). The Coastal Lagoon Critical Habitat is a conservation area for biodiversity consisting of 8 species of mangroves and more than 50 species of birds. The Coastal Lagoon Critical Habitat is the last intact ecosystem of such kind along Manila Bay and in an urban setting.
The Philippines is a signatory to the Convention on Migratory Species (CBD). The Coastal Lagoon Critical Habitat is the first and only critical habitat ever proclaimed in the country and hosts more than 5,000 individual birds during migration season. At least 1% of the population of Greenshank and 10% of the population of Black-winged Stilts in the East Asian- Australasian Flyway are in the Coastal Lagoon Critical Habitat.
The Philippines is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention (Wetlands Conservation). Most parts of Manila Bay are wetlands which is a very productive ecosystem. The Coastal Lagoon Critical Habitat is part of a complex coastal ecosystem and very sensitive to changes in its surroundings. The presence of a considerable number of birds in the area makes it a wetland of global importance.
Now, why would President Aquino approved the project? As they say in the Philippines, weather-weather lang yan...