Magu Thingbu (18045)
India, Asia

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Year of last assessment: 2005

National site name: Magu Thingbu

Central coordinates: Latitude: 27.6667, Longitude: 92.1667

System: terrestrial

Elevation (m): 2000 to 4000

Area of KBA (km²): 815.04287

KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: Mago Thingbu is a high altitude area with characteristic forest types such as Mixed Broadleaf in the lower reaches to Temperate Coniferous Forest in the higher reaches. Most of the area remains permanently covered with snow; the international borders with China to the north and Bhutan to the west demarcate the area. There are large pure stands of Juniper forest, and some high altitude lakes, so winter nesting for birds is possible. There is very little information on the area.

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) KBA identified in the CEPF Ecosystem Profile of the Eastern Himalayas Hotspot (2005). Taxonomy, nomenclature and threat category follow the 2002 IUCN Red List.

Additional biodiversity: AVIFAUNA: Notable is the Wood Snipe Gallinago nemoricola, of which one was collected and many seen in the hills west of Mago, at 4,250 m in 1934 (Ludlow and Kinnear 1937). The present status of this globally threatened species is not known. According to A. U. Choudhury (pers. comm. 2003), the endangered White-winged Duck Cairina scutulata is likely to occur at the lower reaches, while Sclater’s Monal Lophophorus sclateri would be present above 3,000 m. Extensive tracts of Subtropical Dry Evergreen and Broadleaf Hill Forest still exist in this IBA, that are extremely important for Vulnerable species such as Pale-capped Pigeon Columba punicea, Beautiful Nuthatch Sitta formosa and Rufous-necked Hornbill Aceros nipalensis. Perhaps, significant populations of these species are found here (Dey 2003). Among the Near Threatened species, only Blue-naped Pitta Pitta nipalensis has been identified till now, but more bird species of this category are likely to be present. The site lies in Eastern Himalaya Endemic Bird Area (EBA 130) in which Stattersfield et al. (1998) have listed 21 species as Restricted Range. Three species are known to occur at this site. This site also has two biomes: Biome-7 (Sino-Himalayan Temperate Forest) and Biome-5 (Eurasian High Montane- Alpine and Tibetan), according to the classification of BirdLife International (undated). Only three species of Biome-5 have been seen, out of the 48 listed by BirdLife International. There is a long list of 112 species of Biome-7 but only nine bird species could be identified till now. This is more due to lack of proper detailed study than due to paucity of birds. OTHER KEY FAUNA: No information.

Delineation rationale: 2014-03-11 (BL Secretariat): a site area of 81507 ha was calculated by GIS from the site polygon, then rounded to the nearest 10% (82000 ha).

Habitats

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Forest	100

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: MAIN THREATS: Shifting cultivation; Poaching; Felling. The area is not as susceptible to hunting as other parts of Arunachal Pradesh because the small local population is Buddhist. However, army personnel are responsible for the occasional poaching that occurs here.

Additional information

References: BirdLife International (undated) Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in Asia: Project briefing book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, U.K., Unpublished. Dey, B. (2003) Report on survey of unexplored Important Bird Area (IBA) of Arunachal Pradesh. Report submitted to the Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai. Ludlow, Pp.11. Ludlow, F. and Kinnear, N. (1937) The birds of Bhutan and adjacent territories of Sikkim and Tibet. Ibis 14(1): 1-46, 249-293, 467-504. Stattersfield, A. J., Crosby, M. J., Long, A. J. and Wege, D. C. (1998) Endemic Bird Areas of the World: Priorities for Biodiversity Conservation. BirdLife Conservation Series No. 7. BirdLife International, Cambridge, U.K.