Agusan Marsh is a vast complex of freshwater marshes and water courses located in the province of Agusan del Sur in the Philippines. It supports the largest expanses of seven habitat types found in the country, including swamp forest and peat swamp forest. The marsh provides an important habitat for various water birds and threatened forest bird species. It is also home to the Indigenous Agusan Manobo people, who comprise 60% of the population and live within the western side of the marsh.
3. Agusan Marsh is a vast
complex of freshwater
marshes and water
courses with numerous
small shadow lakes and
ponds in the upper basin
of the Agusan River and
its tributaries
4. The maximum water
depth of Agusan Marsh is
4 meters. Some parts of
the marsh have been
converted into fish ponds
and rice paddles.
5. The marsh supports the largest
expanses left in the Philippines of the
seven habitat types and includes a very
large area of swamp forest and a peat
swamp forest not found anywhere else
in the country
6. This IBA is important for a
variety of water birds, notably
herons and egrets. Several
threatened species have been
recorded in or near to Agusan
Marsh in the past, mainly forest
birds, but it is unclear whether they
have significant populations in the
remaining forests there.
7. However, Silvery Kingfisher
has recently been recorded in
the marsh itself, and there
may be a significant
population of Philippine
Duck there.
- Birdlife International
8. Agusan Marsh is a home to a group of
Indigenous peole called Agusan Manobo who
are found inside the swamp in the western side.
The Manobos comprise 60% of the total
population while 40% are migrants, like the
Cebuanos and Ilongos.