Brunei participates in Asian Waterbird Census in Manila
By James Kon

Bandar Seri Begawan - Environment conservation especially on wetlands and birds was high on the agenda at the Second Coordinator's Meeting for the Asian Waterbird Census (AWC), which took place at Manila, Philippines from October 8 to 10.

Fifty people from 20 countries ranging from Northern Russia to Australia and from as far as Pakistan in the west to Japan inthe east participated in the event.

The participants were representatives of international and national NGOs. Brunei Darussalam was represented by Shirley and Andrea Bloem of the Panaga Natural History Society (PNHS). This was the first time that Brunei had joined the meeting.

The conference was opened by a senior government representative of the Philippines.

According to Dr Taej Mundkur, the coordinator of wetland international in south Asia cum organiser of the conference, the meeting was aimed at establishing a more coordinated census next year and to get more insight into trends and distribution of birds.

Brunei's participation in the meeting for the first time is significant because the Sultanate is visited by thousands of migratory birds each year during the northern hemisphere winter (September till April). Birds that have been breeding in northern countries like Siberia, China and Japan migrate southward when the weather gets colder.

Along their way south they (the migratory birds) pass Brunei, some may stopover during the whole winter. Many of the birds are waterbirds, which include egrets, herons, kingfishers and tiny waders. The birds feed on crabs, worms, small fish etc.

The places where the public may spot these birds are at the seashore, mangrove and peat swamp areas of Brunei Bay, the areas west of Tutong and south of Kuala Belait, and also lakes like Tasek Merimbun as well as rivers like Sungai Seria. These areas are normally referred to as wetlands.

The AWC is part of a global event that takes place in more than 100 countries. During the 2nd and 3rd week of January, millions of waterbirds are counted each year. Tens of thousands of volunteers participate and do the counting. Brunei has participated several times before in this event. Next January, Brunei will also participate in the event.

It's vital that Brunei takes part in the event. The forests in Brunei are already gaining attention, especially in the "Heart of Borneo" project. But wetlands are often considered inferior or even judged as a source of diseases and are easily transformed into industrial or residential areas.

However, the importance of wetlands may be underrated, as they are a source of living for waterbirds as well as humans. The wetlands provide us our daily water supply and mangroves are important as protection against floods and tidal waves.

During the tsunamis, areas with good mangrove forests are protected from the brutal power of the, sea. Mangroves are also the single most important breeding ground for commercial fish like shrimp. And wetlands in general are full of fish and seafood.

In many countries, wetlands are getting more and more attention from local and- national governments. In the Philippines, the AWC conference made it to the evening TV news and various national newspapers.

One of -our Bruneian participants was known by millions of Filipinos when she was invited to join the mayor of Candaba in the symbolic release of two threatened Philippine Mallards to return to their natural habitat in the wild.

For more information on the Asian Waterbird Census, go to: http://www.wetlands.org. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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