The Northrail Transit Project (NTP) has identified a 13.822 hectares area to be used exclusively for the North Rail Depot at Valenzuela . The proposed stabling yard or parking location for trains (depot) is located at the boundary of Meycauayan and Valenzuela. The site is a vacant area covered with grasses and becomes swampy during the rainy season.
An ecological assessment was conducted to characterize the wetland area that will be developed to serve as a benchmark and guide for the identification of an offset site. The ecological assessment included the identification of ecological services that the said wetland is presently providing that might be diminished or totally lost when the development occurs. Ecological assessment and characterization of the site were conducted during wet and dry season.
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The study employed approaches and methods recommended by the Ramsar Convention Secretariat in its Handbook 13 (Inventory, Assessment and Monitoring) and Handbook 15 (Wetland Inventory) and Ramsar Technical Report No. 1. Due to the short time span for the study (September 2016 to May 2017), rapid assessment was the preferred approach for the study where it entailed not just characterization of the habitat and the organisms found within but also looking at status, threats and trends.
