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Manila Bay
| General Information |
| Wetland type |
Shallow sea bay, estuaries, intertidal
flats, mangroves |
| Province |
Bulacan; Cavite; Bataan; Pampanga; National
Capital Region |
| Municipality |
Bataan (Orani, Samal, Abucay, Pilar, Orion, Limay,
Mariveles); Pampanga (Masantol, Sexmoan); Bulacan (Obando, Bulacan,
Paombong, Malolos, Hagonoy); Cavite (Bacoor, Cavite City, Kawit,
Noveleta, Rosario, Tanza, Naic, Ternate); NCR (Caloocan City, Manila
City, Pasay City, Parañaque City, Las Piñas City) |
| Estimated area (has) |
130,000 ha (Cavite and Bataan portions); 465 ha
(Cities of Manila, Pasay and Parañaque) |
| Location |
14°40'N, 120°46'E |
| Biological Diversity |
| Land cover |
Relicts of mangrove swamp, particularly in the
Bataan area; the dominant species are
Rhizophora apiculata, R. mucronata, Avicennia marina, Nypa fruticans
and Sonneratia alba. There are also small areas of Schyphiphora
hydrophyllacea, S. alba, Acanthus illicifolius and Excoecaria
aqallocha.
Plant communities in adjacent areas include plantations of Cocos
nucifera and denuded hill vegetation. |
| Forest cover type |
Mangrove forest |
| Restricted range, endangered and threatened species fauna |
Platelea minor, Egret Bubulcus ibis, Egretta eulophotes,
Tringa hypoleucos, Sterna hirundo, Calidris ferruginea, Casmerodius
albus, Ardea cinerea, Sterna nilotica, Charadrius alexandrinus,
Egretta garzetta, Charadrius dubius, Tringa stagnatilis, Charadrius
mongolus, Pluvialis fulva, Ardea purpurea, Nycticorax caledonicus,
Calidris ruficollis, Chlidonias hybridus, Chlidonias leucopterus, Casmerodius albus, Platalea
minor, Anas luzonica, Turnix worcesteri, Tringa guttifer, Sterna
bernsteini |
| Species Diversity |
8,000 shorebirds of 20 species |
| Migratory Pathway |
Large numbers of migratory shorebirds
uses the intertidal mudflats, fishponds and salt pans in Manila
Bay during the migration seasons. |
| Socio-Economic |
| Transboundary human activities |
Fishing and extensive mariculture,
agriculture (mainly rice-growing), residential, primary port for
international trade and commerce. A saltpan industry at Cavite
lies in the Southeast. |
| Tenure |
Mixture of state and private ownership |
| Threats |
| Intrinsic source of change |
Saltwater intrusion caused by withdrawal of groundwater,
siltation and sedimentation. There is continuous denudation of the
natural vegetation in the water catchment area. The heavily polluted
Pasig River drains into the the Bay. |
| External source of change |
Destruction of the remaining patches of
mangroves for aquaculture, reclamation of intertidal areas for
housing development, road construction and salt pans, continuous
dredging and pollution ( solid waste, domestic sewerage, industrial
waste, and oil spill.
Additional threats include shooting of shorebirds at fishponds and
dynamite fishing Similarly, construction along the shoreline
particularly in the Roxas Boulevard area has disturbed the roosting
areas of shorebirds. |
| Intervention |
| Existing status of legislations |
Manila Bay National Park-Proc. 41 / July 5, 1954;PD 1085 / February
4, 1977 A Presidential Task Force for the Rehabilitation of Manila
Bay was created in 1993. A comprehensive management plan was submitted
to the Office of the President in 1994. |
| Existing national plans |
Manila Bay Coastal Strategy |
| Development Project / Research |
Manila Bay is an ideal area for research on
fisheries, wildlife, biomass and marine pollution. The Bureau of
Fisheries and Aquatic Resources has carried out some studies, and the
Forest Research Institute (now the Ecosystems Research and Development
Bureau) and Asian Wetlands Bureau (now Wetlands International) have
conducted shorebirds. The small pockets of mangrove swamp remaining in
Pampanga Bay are of considerable value for research and conservation
education. |
| Source of information |
Directory of Philippine Wetlands Vol I & II,
PBCPP, Key Conservation Sites in the Philippines, Philippine
National Reports on Wetlands |
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