Mantanani islands (16036)
Malaysia, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2004
National site name: Mantanani islands
Central coordinates: Latitude: 6.7000, Longitude: 116.3500
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 30
Area of KBA (km2): 16.81978
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Pulau Mantanani consists of three islands namely Pulau Mantanani Besar, Pulau Mantanani Kecil and Pulau Lungisan, a small island just off the western shore of Pulau Mantanani Besar. Pulau Mantanani Besar is about 3 km across and 1.5 km at its widest point. The island is surrounded by sandy, calcareous beaches, except on its northern side. Pulau Mantanani Kecil is a thin island 2.5 km by 0.7 km. The island is composed mostly of limestone bluffs and rocky shores, with little strand or kerangas vegetation (Sheldon, 1983). Pulau Lungisan is a 40 m high limestone stack covered with low trees and steep slopes close to Pulau Mantanani Besar (Møller, 2002).
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas)
Additional biodiversity: The islands are important to pelagic species, wintering migrants and residents although the diversity is not great (28 species). Pelagic species such as the Frigatebirds (Christmas Island, Great and Lesser) have been recorded roosting in great numbers on Pulau Mantanani Kecil and Pulau Lungisan, one of the very few localities in Sabah where these migratory species can be found. These islands are estimated to hold 2,000-3,000 Frigatebirds Fregata spp. during peak season, with mostly juveniles and sub-adults (Møller, 2002).Other Near Threatened species that has been recorded are the endemic Mantanani Scops-owl Otus mantananensis, Malaysian Plover Charadrius peronii, Nicobar Pigeon Caloenas nicobarica and Blue-naped Parrot Tanygnathus lucionensis (Boden Kloss, 1930; Møller, 2002; Sheldon, 1983; Smythies, 1981). The Megapode Megapodius freycinet was found breeding on Pulau Mantanani Besar in March 1982, where eight birds and six active nest mounds were examined (Sheldon, 1983). Non-bird biodiversity: (I) Globally threatened mammals (IUCN, 2002): VULNERABLE: Dugong Dugong dugon (Elliott, 2003).(II) Globally threatened reptiles (IUCN, 2002): CRITICAL: Hawksbill Turtle Eretmochelys imbricata; ENDANGERED: Green Turtle Chelonia mydas(III) Globally threatened plants (IUCN, 2002): No information.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Most areas on Pulau Mantanani Besar are sandy beaches, accompanied by strand forest composed primarily of Casuarina equisetifolia, with some Pandanus odoratissimus, shrubs and grasses. On the northern end of the island, the sandy beaches give way to narrow rocky ones. Limestone bluffs, formed by the sea into a network of caves and cliffs, rise abruptly from this rocky part of the coast to a height of 30 m in some places. A thin band of forest growing on top of the limestone bluffs, where the soil tends to be richer than in other parts of the island, had a number of Ficus spp. trees. Apart from this one high part of the island, the rest has low relief and sandy, poor soil. Substantial plots of Cocos nucifera have been planted at the base of the limestone highlands at the island's northern end and at its southeastern corner. The rest of the interior has either thick kerangas forest characterized by the Myrtaceae or open kerangas scrub with tough shrubs such as Melastoma. There are no marshes, swamps or mangroves on this island (Sheldon, 1983).
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 50 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 50 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The hunting of the Megapode and decrease in the Nicobar Pigeon population are of concern. The forested area frequented by the Megapode on Pulau Mantanani Besar was found to be heavily set with snares. In addition to that, islanders were reported digging up the nests regularly and taking all the eggs (Sheldon, 1983). The Nicobar Pigeons are preyed upon by domestic cats, ensnarement and a lack of population-boosting immigrants, which have reduced its numbers. Only two were recorded in March 1982 (Sheldon, 1983). Poor enforcement of wildlife laws on the expanding Pulau Mantanani Besar has also contributed to the decline of medium- and larger-sized birds. The breeding population of Edible-nest Swiftlet Aerodramus fuciphagus has also decline sharply due to over-harvesting. Some new forest clearings have occurred on the ridge of Pulau Mantanani Besar in 2001 (Møller, 2002).
Additional information
References: Boden Kloss, C. 1930. The Birds of Mangalum and Mantanani Islands off the West Coast of British North Borneo. Bulletin of the Raffles Museum 4: 117-123.Elliott, G. 2003. The Dugongs of Mantanani. Malaysian Naturalist 56(3): 32-35.IUCN. 2002. 2002 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. http://www.redlist.org (23 June 2003).Møller, H.S. 2002. Bird Observations: Mantanani Islands, Sabah, Malaysia 2002. (Unpublished).Regis, P. 2001. The Management of Protected Areas in Sabah. Pp. 67-98 in Zahra Yaacob, Moo-Tan, S. and S. Yorath (eds.). Proceedings of the International Conference on In-situ and Ex-situ Biodiversity Conservation in the New Millennium, 20-22 June 2000, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Kota Kinabalu: Yayasan Sabah/Innoprise Corporation Sdn. Bhd. And Sabah Museum. Sheldon, F.H. 1983. The Birds of the Mantanani Islands. Sabah Society Journal 7(3): 165-175.Smythies, B.E. 1981. The Birds of Borneo (3rd Edition). Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Society, and Kuala Lumpur: The Malayan Nature Society.Smythies, B.E. 1999. The birds of Borneo. Fourth edition. Revised by G.W.H. Davison. Kota Kinabalu: Natural History Publications (Borneo).Yeap, C.A., Sebastian, A. and Siti Hawa Yatim (compilers) 2003. The Asian Waterbird Census 2003 Country Report (Malaysia). Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Nature Society.