Are we really moving a protected wetland to prevent bird strikes?

The suggestion to reroute birds, concerned environmentalists say, shows a 'misunderstanding of migration ecology'

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Raffy Tulfo is pushing to relocate the Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park to prevent bird strikes. The wetland park is considered a bird sanctuary and Manila’s last coastal frontier.

“If we transfer the wetlands, the bird sanctuary in Las Piñas somewhere else, the birds will follow,” Tulfo said in a mix of Filipino and English during a Senate hearing on July 2.

Migratory birds will follow, said Tulfo, because they will see that there is food on the relocation site. Tulfo urged the Environment Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to figure out where to relocate the park.

But the flyways that birds follow during migration are ancient and most likely genetic. Wildlife biologist Jelaine Gan calls bird migration “one of the greatest mysteries of the bird world.”

The drastic measure that Tulfo proposed sparked concerns from different organizations. Mangrove Matters PH, a youth environmental group, said the park is not a “movable facility that can simply be transferred elsewhere.” And the suggestion to reroute birds, they said, shows a “misunderstanding of migration ecology.”

“The solution to bird strike risks should never be the destruction, degradation, or relocation of protected ecosystems.”

Rappler’s Iya Gozum visits the wetland park. Watch it here. – Rappler.com

Reporter, writer, video editor: Iya Gozum
Shots by: Aaron Bancoro
Producers: Genno Rabaya, JC Gotinga