Pagbilao and Tayabas Bay (9726)
Philippines, Asia

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Year of last assessment: 2006

National site name: Pagbilao and Tayabas Bay

Central coordinates: Latitude: 13.9167, Longitude: 121.7167

System: marine, terrestrial

Elevation (m): 0 to 10

Area of KBA (km²): 26.9729

Protected area coverage (%): 19.67

KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: Pagbilao Bay (and nearby Quezon National Park: PH025) is a few kilometres to the east of Lucena City and about 100 km south-east of Metro Manila. It lies at the northwest end of the large, sweeping Tayabas Bay, which has extensive intertidal mudflats, sand flats, and associated pockets of mangroves and offshore coral reefs. The IBA included a 700 ha patch of mangroves in the delta of the Palsabangon River and its tributaries in Pagbilao Bay, which is protected from strong wave action by the islands of Pagbilao Grande, Dampalita and Patayan. Much of the mangrove has been converted to fish culture ponds, and the area of fishponds continues to expand. However, c.100 ha of a mangrove forest is protected by DENR at the Mangrove Forest Research Centre at Talipan, and there are smaller pockets at Padre Burgos, Unisan, Pitogo and Macalelon. Fishing is very important in Tayabas Bay and supports many coastal towns and villages, and provides fish for the Metro Manila markets. A considerable proportion of the mangrove forest has been cleared for the construction of fishponds, and about 1,000 people are now involved in aquaculture in the region. In the surrounding areas there is limited subsistence agriculture including small scale rice cultivation and coconut plantations. The mangrove forest provides protection against coastal erosion by wave action during tropical storms and serves as wind breaks which can contribute to the mitigation of wind damage to coastal settlements during typhoons. The relatively quiet waters in the mangrove forest also provide a refuge for fish during the storms, and the mangroves are an important source of forest products for coastal residents.

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 CI/CEPF Conservation Outcomes booklet for the Philippines Hotspot (2006). Taxonomy, nomenclature and threat category follow the 2004 IUCN Red List.

Additional biodiversity: The Pagbilao and Tayabas Bay IBA is an important staging and wintering area for migratory herons, egrets and shorebirds. Nine species of Ardeidae have been recorded, and up to 500 shorebirds of 16 species have been counted. The threatened Chinese Egret and Philippine Duck may both occur in significant numbers, and the records of the threatened Philippine Kingfisher in the mangrove forests there are also of interest. Non-bird biodiversity: The Bay provides natural breeding and nursery grounds for a wide variety of molluscs, crustaceans, fish and other aquatic organisms of economic importance.

Habitats

Summary of habitats in KBA: Pagbilao Bay (and nearby Quezon National Park: PH025) is a few kilometres to the east of Lucena City and about 100 km south-east of Metro Manila. It lies at the northwest end of the large, sweeping Tayabas Bay, which has extensive intertidal mudflats, sand flats, and associated pockets of mangroves and offshore coral reefs. The IBA included a 700 ha patch of mangroves in the delta of the Palsabangon River and its tributaries in Pagbilao Bay, which is protected from strong wave action by the islands of Pagbilao Grande, Dampalita and Patayan. Much of the mangrove has been converted to fish culture ponds, and the area of fishponds continues to expand. However, c.100 ha of a mangrove forest is protected by DENR at the Mangrove Forest Research Centre at Talipan, and there are smaller pockets at Padre Burgos, Unisan, Pitogo and Macalelon. Fishing is very important in Tayabas Bay and supports many coastal towns and villages, and provides fish for the Metro Manila markets. A considerable proportion of the mangrove forest has been cleared for the construction of fishponds, and about 1,000 people are now involved in aquaculture in the region. In the surrounding areas there is limited subsistence agriculture including small scale rice cultivation and coconut plantations. The mangrove forest provides protection against coastal erosion by wave action during tropical storms and serves as wind breaks which can contribute to the mitigation of wind damage to coastal settlements during typhoons. The relatively quiet waters in the mangrove forest also provide a refuge for fish during the storms, and the mangroves are an important source of forest products for coastal residents.

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Artificial - Terrestrial	30
Marine Intertidal	30
Marine Coastal/Supratidal	5
Artificial - Aquatic	30
Forest	5

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Mangrove clearance is particularly evident in the southeastern and western sections of the Mangrove Forest Research Center. The mangroves are utilized for firewood, housing materials, boat and raft supports and fence posts, and provide a source of tannin. There is considerable interest in aquaculture projects in this area, and mangroves continue to be clear felled for new schemes. In the water catchment area, particularly north of Pagbilao, there have been increases in logging and kaingin in forested areas which leads to increased siltation. The wetland habitats are also under pressure from general human encroachment and pollution from the fishponds. The hunting of shorebirds and ducks (including Philippine Duck) still takes place, even in the Mangrove Forest Research Center, and marine habitats are threatened by the use of dynamite for fishing on the coral reefs and the use of poisons for fishing in the mangrove creeks.

Additional information