The Wild Bird Club of the Philippines together with the local government of Negros Occidental will be hosting the 11th Philippine Bird Festival on November 24-26, 2016. Local and international bird enthusiasts will definitely flock to Bacolod City and other birding sites in Negros Occidental since this is considered as the country’s biggest birding festival. The Philippine Bird Festival seeks to celebrate the diversity of bird species in the country, as well as raise the public’s awareness to the threat of climate change on this diversity.
This is also very timely since the Negros Occidental Coastal Wetlands Conservation Area (NOCWCA) has recently been declared as a Ramsar Site, or a wetland of international importance. The NOCWCA has a continuous coastline of 109.52 kilometers. 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. This coastal wetlands are known for their rich biodiversity including abundant migratory birds and globally threatened species of various animals like turtles and water fowls.
There will be lectures, exhibits as well as tours of the various birding sites in Negros Occidental. This event is also expected to boost sustainable tourism in the province.
