Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary
Olango Island is a diverse coastal ecosystem consisting of extensive coralline sandflats, mangroves, seagrass beds, and offshore coral reefs. The island's mangroves are most extensive in the Cebu province, and its offshore corals are home to scores of various marine species. The island is virtually flat, and it is surrounded by warm seas and partly sheltered from monsoons and strong trade winds.
Olango Island, situated off Mactan Island in Cebu, is one of the seven best-known flyways in the world for migrating birds. Its main attraction is its 920-hectare Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary, a haven for migratory birds from Siberia, Northern China, and Japan. These birds flock to the island seeking refuge from the winter climate of other countries. The sanctuary supports the largest concentration of migratory birds found so far in the Philippines. There are 97 species of birds in Olango, 48 of which are migratory species, while the rest are resident birds of the island.
The birds use Olango as a major refueling station as well as a wintering ground. The birds stop by the island on their southward journey to Australia and New Zealand and on their journey back to their nesting grounds. Among the frequent guests are Chinese egrets, Asiatic dowitchers, Eastern curlews, plovers, sanpipers, Black-tailed Godwit and Red Knot. It is best to visit Olango around the months of July to November just in time for winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
Then President Corazon Aquino declared the 1,020 hectares tidal flats in Olango a protected area under Proclamation No. 903 on May 14, 1992. It was included on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance on 1 July 1994. It is the Philippines' first wetland of international importance for waterfowl.
Read more about this topic: Olango Island Group
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