This RFI Ecosystem Services Training Workshop for the Philippines was held at ADB Headquarters in Manila and included a field visit to Balanga Nature and Wetland Park in Bataan Province. The Balanga wetlands are a critical site for migratory birds along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway and crucial to the Province's fisheries, tourism, and other economic sectors.  

This training takes off from the workshop Regional Flyway Initiative: Understanding Wetland Ecosystem Services and How to Assess Them, conducted during the 11th Meeting of Partners of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP).

Learning objective(s): To build the capacity of wetland managers, policymakers, and conservation practitioners in the Philippines through an in-depth understanding of:

• wetland ecosystem services and how to assess them,
• best practices in wetland management, including management and restoration activities that enhance ecosystem services,
• experiences and case studies in nature-based solutions (NBS) and their implementation.

Target audience: wetland (site) managers, conservation practitioners, and policymakers (2-3 persons from each priority wetland site).

Participation and mode of delivery: By invitation only and in-person with some sessions made available online (via Zoom).  

Under Phase 1 of the RFI, 20 wetland sites in the Philippines were assessed and 12 priority sites, comprising 9 coastal and 3 freshwater wetlands, were identified. Seven of these priority sites overlapped with protected areas.  Species occurring in large congregations included (≥1%): 28 species, including Great Knot (EN), Chinese Egret (VU), Grey-tailed Tattler (NT), Red-necked Stint (NT), Chinese Crested Tern (CR) and several herons and anatid sp. (e.g. Tufted Duck, Garganey).

The Manila training was an opportunity to continue Phase 2 of site selection in the Philippines based on the Toolkit for Ecosystem Service Site-based Assessment (TESSA) that involves stakeholder engagement activity to gather consensus on:

• boundaries, habitat types, ecosystem services provisioning, challenges and threats at the site level,
• capacity needs and gaps for site managers on the ground and at policy and project management levels.

Building the capacity of ADB developing member countries and EAAFP partners in managing sustainable wetlands and shifting to nature-based solutions in the Flyway’s most important wetlands is a key part of the RFI's work.