Dutch project in Manila Bay at odds with nature conservation

In 2021, the Dutch dredging firm Royal Boskalis Westminster announced that it had won a $1.5 billion project in Manila Bay. Boskalis intends to reclaim an area of ​​2,565 hectares of land on the coast of Bulacan province — equivalent to more than 3,500 football fields — upon which the Duterte administration is planning to build the New Manila International Airport (NMIA).

Because it is such a high-risk project, Boskalis has applied for a so-called export credit insurance from the Dutch State through the export credit agency Atradius DSB. Atradius’ decision regarding Boskalis’ request is expected to be made soon and for this reason, we, a coalition of Philippine and Dutch civil society organizations and scientists, call on the Dutch government and Boskalis to withdraw from this controversial project. The NMIA project is completely at odds with the Netherlands’ climate ambitions.

What is particularly striking about Boskalis’ planned land reclamation activities is that they completely contradict recent recommendations from the Manila Bay Sustainable Development Master Plan, which was recently developed by Dutch water engineers in collaboration with the Philippine government. The master plan, which was also funded by the Netherlands, provides concrete recommendations for the sustainable development of Manila Bay. With regard to the NMIA location, the master plan states that it should in fact be designated as a strict protection zone due to the area’s vulnerable wetlands and high biodiversity value. The master plan advises against the construction of the NMIA in that area. Should the Dutch State decide to insure the Boskalis, it will effectively be using Dutch public resources to undermine the master plan, which was also funded with Dutch public resources, thus serving as a salient and shocking example of policy incoherence.

Manila Bay is extremely vulnerable to climate change and is routinely faced with floods brought on by land subsistence, sea-level rise, storm surges, and hurricanes. The NMIA project exacerbates these vulnerabilities with disastrous implications for communities and ecosystems. So far, hundreds of fishing families have been forced to make way for the project, many of whom have been pressured to self-demolish their own homes. In addition, thousands of fishermen have been cut off from their fishing grounds, upon which they depend for their livelihoods. The planned land reclamation will also cause irreplaceable wetlands to be wiped out, such as mudflats and mangroves that play a vital role in carbon sequestration. The area is currently an important spawning ground for various fish species such as sardines, and it also serves as a refuge for protected migratory bird species within the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, one of the world’s largest flyways. Moreover, the NMIA development will likely accelerate land subsidence in the region, which will in turn exacerbate flooding in a much larger area. Sand mining for land reclamation is also expected to have a disastrous effect on marine life and fisheries elsewhere in the bay.

In recent years, the Netherlands has marketed itself as a world leader in the field of climate adaptation. The Dutch water sector, which Boskalis is part of, plays a key role in this strategy. But climate adaptation means that communities and ecosystems are made more resilient to the effects of climate change, while projects like the NMIA do the exact opposite.

We are calling on Boskalis and Atradius DSB to withdraw from this project. Instead, the Netherlands should refocus its climate ambitions toward policies that support sustainable, inclusive, and locally-driven adaptation initiatives.

AGHAM Advocates of Science and Technology for the People, AKAP KA Manila Bay, Both ENDS, CARE Philippines, Devralin Lagos-University of the Philippines, IUCN NL, Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment, Oceana International Philippines, Wild Bird Club of the Philippines