Wetlands are unheard body of waters to some, but they play a critical part in our natural environment. They protect the shores from wave action, prevent flooding, and serve as a habitat for terrestrial and aquatic wildlife species. In Negros Occidental, a coastal wetland named Negros Occidental Coastal Wetlands Conservation Area (NOCWCA) is a contiguous wetlands area with a coastline of 109.52 kilometers that covers the municipalities of Pulupandan, Valladolid, San Enrique, Pontevedra, Hinigaran, Binalbagan, Ilog and the cities of Bago, Himamaylan, and Kabankalan. Named as the seventh Ramsar site in the Philippines and the fourth East Asian Australasian Flyway Network Site in the Philippines, NOCWCA is one of the richest and most diverse coastal resources in Western Visayas, particularly mangroves.

Wetlands, water and life are inseparable: Protect NOCWCA, protect lives. (2021, February 18). Panay News, p. 15.