THE Negros Occidental Tourism Division has conducted a three-day capacity building activity for waterbird identification, monitoring, and bird guiding at Barangay Tibsoc in San Enrique town starting yesterday.
The activity is in partnership with the Philippines Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Incorporated, Department of Tourism in Western Visayas, Provincial Environment Management Office and Municipal Government of San Enrique.
This is participated by at least 25 representatives from various local government units (LGUs) in the province with existing and potential birdwatching activities.
Barangay Tibsoc forms part of the Negros Occidental Coastal Wetlands Conservation Area (NOCWCA), which was identified as the seventh Ramsar site in the country.
NOCWCA has a continuous coastline of 109.52 kilometers, records of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) showed.
It spans 52 coastal barangays in 10 local government units, including the cities of Bago, Himamaylan, Kabankalan, and the municipalities of Pulupandan, Valladolid, San Enrique, Pontevedra, Hinigaran, Binalbagan, and Ilog, it added.
The conservation area was also declared as the new East Asian-Australasian Flyway site.
As a partner Flyway Site Network, the coastal stretch serves as an air highway for migratory species. (EPN)