Mount Ziphu (18329)
India, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2004
National site name: Mount Ziphu
Central coordinates: Latitude: 25.6500, Longitude: 94.7500
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 1500 to 2500
Area of KBA (km2): 40.5117
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Mount Ziphu is located in the south-eastern part of Nagaland in Phek district, within the catchment area of the Chindwin river of Myanmar. This IBA is hilly, Mount Ziphu being the highest peak with an elevation of 2500 m above msl. The hilltop and adjacent slopes have some fine stands of primary subtropical and temperate broadleaf forest, with small areas of temperate broadleaf forest on the hilltop.
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: AVIFAUNA: This IBA was first surveyed in 1950 by S. Dillon Ripley (1952). A number of globally threatened species have been recorded, including the Rufous-necked Hornbill Aceros nipalensis and Blyth’s Tragopan Tragopan blythii. However both the species are rare (A.U. Choudhury pers. comm. 2003). Mrs. Hume’s Pheasant Syrmaticus humiae occurs at the grassy forest edge in secondary forest (Choudhury 2002), while the only record of the rare Wood Snipe Gallinago nemoricola in Nagaland was from this IBA (Choudhury 2003). Although Ripley (1952) obtained specimens of many species from Ziphu, he did not mention any of the threatened species. OTHER KEY FAUNA: Primates such as the Hoolock Gibbon Hylobates hoolock and Stump-tailed Macaque Macaca arctoides have become extremely rare, but they still occur. Barking Deer Muntiacus muntjak, Serow Nemorhaedus sumatraensis, Leopard Panthera pardus and Asiatic Black Bear Ursus thibetanus are some other noteworthy mammals (A.U. Choudhury pers. comm. 2003).
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | forestry
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 100 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: MAIN THREATS: Felling of trees; Jhum cultivation on the slopes; Poaching. A cement plant is located at Waziho near this IBA. As in any other site in Nagaland, felling of trees, jhum cultivation and poaching, including trapping, are the main conservation issues.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Shifting agriculture | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Intentional use (species being assessed is the target) | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Choudhury, A. U. (2002) Survey of Mrs Hume’s Pheasant in NE India. Final report OBC, UK. Report No. 5. The Rhino Foundation for Nature in NE India, Guwahati: 30pp, maps, photos. Choudhury, A. U. (2003) Some additions to the birds of Nagaland.Forktail 19: 150. Ripley, S. D. (1952) A collection of birds from the Naga Hills. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 50: 475- 514.