Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Buguey Wetlands are on the north coast of Luzon, east of the mouth of the Cagayan River, and cover c.80% of Buguey Municipality. They are a complex of coastal lagoons, freshwater marshes, brackish and saline marshes, mangrove swamps and intertidal mudflats, with some fish ponds and shrimp ponds and a very large area of rice paddies. The wetland is an important area for rice and fisheries production.
Buguey Wetlands are an important staging and wintering area for migratory waterfowl, notably ducks and shorebirds. Some 3,000 5,000 ducks have been recorded in November, mostly Tree-ducks Dendrocygna sp and the threatened Philippine Duck. Up to 3,000 other waterfowl have been observed, and more than 1,000 shorebirds are regularly recorded there during AWC counts.
Buguey Wetlands are on the north coast of Luzon, east of the mouth of the Cagayan River, and cover c.80% of Buguey Municipality. They are a complex of coastal lagoons, freshwater marshes, brackish and saline marshes, mangrove swamps and intertidal mudflats, with some fish ponds and shrimp ponds and a very large area of rice paddies. The wetland is an important area for rice and fisheries production.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The Buguey Wetlands are threatened by further conversion of mangroves and marsh to other uses. The extent of the mangroves has been greatly reduced by the creation of shrimp and fishponds, and this destruction continues.
Waterfowl hunting, although illegal, is widespread, and there is extensive use of pesticides by the rice farmers. Ducks and egrets frequently feed in the rice paddies, and there have been incidents of birds dying from poisoning.
Not officially protected.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Buguey wetlands (Philippines). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/buguey-wetlands-iba-philippines on 23/11/2024.
