Balanga City will be conferred the title of "Wetland City" this July 2025 following its accreditation from the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
The city is the first in the Philippines to receive such title.
Balanga City will be formally recognized in the upcoming 15th meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Convention on Wetlands (COP15) which will take place in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
The convention will run from July 23 to 31, 2025 with the theme "Protecting Wetlands for Our Common Future".
The 64th meeting of the Standing Committee on Wetlands were Balanga and 74 other cities from 27 countries.
They were recognized for their "outstanding efforts" in conserving and sustainably managing urban wetlands.
“This recognition highlights our commitment to preserving and sustainably managing our precious wetland ecosystems. We look forward to continuing our efforts to protect these vital habitats for future generations,” Regional Executive Director Ralph Pablo of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Central Luzon said.
Pablo added that the DENR is the lead agency managing the designation of wetland areas as internationally important under the Ramsar Convention, including the evaluation of potential wetland city accreditations.