PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan — Environmental officials in Palawan are sounding the alarm on the urgent need to safeguard Lawak Island in the West Philippine Sea, a vital refuge for three endangered nomadic bird species, pointing out its importance to both the country's biodiversity and world ecological health.

The Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD), tasked with promoting sustainable development in the province, has issued a warning that the destruction of this critical habitat could "possibly" lead to catastrophic consequences for biodiversity across the globe.

The island, located approximately 300 kilometers from the mainland of Palawan, is one of the nine features claimed by the country in the West Philippine Sea. Covering an area of 7.93 hectares, it boasts a diverse array of habitats, including beach forests, grassy areas, and expansive sandy shores.

From an ornithological perspective, none of the islands and cays within the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG), including Lawak Island, had been subjected to a formal survey until July 2022. PCSD Staff (PCSDS) Executive Director, Atty. Teodoro Jose Matta, said on Saturday that it was then that they dispatched a team to the island to conduct a rapid avifaunal survey on seabird populations.

They learned that aside from hosting three species of birds classified as vulnerable — sooty terns, greater crested terns, and brown noddies — the island also shelters small populations of little egrets, great egrets, and barn swallows. As of 2022, Lawak is a sanctuary for approximately 4,300 migratory birds.

Among the three vulnerable bird species, the sooty terns (Onychoprion fuscatus) boast the largest population on the island, numbering 4,190, according to the avifaunal audit that year. They were followed by the brown noddies (Anous stolidus), with a population of 45; and the greater crested terns (Thalasseus bergii), with 32.

Lawak is where the second-largest Philippine sooty tern colony can be found, following Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (TRNP) in Cagayancillo town, and also serves as the third recognized breeding ground for brown noddies, alongside TRNP and Meander Reef.

The bird sanctuary has also been included among the identified Philippine Sentinel Sites for Seabird Conservation from the 1st National Seabird Forum and Action Planning Workshop last 2021 organized by the Biodiverse Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Tubbataha Management Office.

Matta stated that protecting Lawak Island is crucial for preserving the migratory birds that travel from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere, reaching destinations as far as Brisbane and the Great Barrier Reef off Queensland's coast in Australia.

"Their migration pattern includes Lawak. This highlights how integral Palawan is to global ecology and the world's bird populations. Endangering this critical habitat would have a significant impact on global biodiversity," he said.

"No studies yet; it's merely a theory; it's a research question, which I have already posted to the Australian authorities. And we're going to propose a verification study on this," he added.

Matta said that the Philippines' progress on the international stage is also contingent on its commitment to protecting natural resources. If Lawak is destroyed and its birds are lost, the Philippines' image also gets tarnished in the eyes of the world.

Threats

In the past, seabirds faced threats from military personnel collecting their eggs as food supplements and from dogs preying on them. The construction of a helipad in 2022 on the island, however, emerged as the most severe threat, causing habitat destruction and adversely impacting their populations, as stated in the bird study.

A military source, who requested anonymity due to not being authorized to discuss the matter, said that the helipad has since been abandoned, acknowledging the dense bird population on the island and the associated risks of accidents.

"It's not in use because of the need to protect the birds," the source claimed.

Matta noted that the government's January 2024 proposal for an ₱800 million port and a 3-kilometer runway was deferred, with the decision made in consideration of the birds' welfare.

He said he spoke with DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga two weeks ago and informed her that the projects couldn't proceed. She then connected him with Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista to express his concerns.

"I talked to Sec. Bautista, I gave my concerns, and he told me to do a survey and find out alternative sites. They're on hold right now until we can come up with alternative project sites. That's basically where the projects stand right now," Matta said.

Ma. Vivian Soriano, a senior ecosystem management specialist at the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office of the local DENR, concurred, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive study to assess the impacts of both minor and major developments planned for Lawak before proceeding.

She said birds play many roles ecosystems diversity, including as predators, pollinators, scavengers, seed dispersers, seed predators, and ecosystem engineers.

"Before any construction begins, studies must first be conducted to address and mitigate impacts on the birds," Soriano said.

The PCSD Staff and teams from DOTr, the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA), and the military will go to Lawak Island to do a second round of bird population survey in May this year.

Law imposition

Jovic Fabello, spokesperson for the PCSD Staff, stressed that there is a critical need for stricter enforcement of environmental regulations in the Kalayaan Islands Group where Lawak is, underlining its role within the Philippines' territorial boundaries, where the nation bears the responsibility to safeguard avian treasures.

"It's important that we enforce environmental laws strictly in Kalayaan, not just on mainland Palawan, because some of these birds are already vulnerable," he said.

He explained that the island is indispensable for these birds because if it were to disappear, they would lose a crucial layover site. Their migratory route would be directly affected, as they are instinctively programmed to stop at Lawak before continuing to other destinations.

Fabello said this is why an agreement was executed on April 5, empowering Kalayaan town to enhance protective measures for the island, which has been designated as a critical habitat for migratory birds under the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) Resolution No. 22-827 since September 2022, in accordance with Republic Act 9147, or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.

As Kalayaan town begins to boost its tourism industry, with Lawak being one of the featured destinations, it is essenti