Mount Kulasi (9730)
Philippines, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2006
National site name: Mount Kulasi
Central coordinates: Latitude: 13.9167, Longitude: 123.0167
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 960
Area of KBA (km2): 92.30831
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Mt Kulasi is in eastern Camarines Norte province, on the border with Camarines Sur. A block of old growth forest is shown around the mountain on recent forest cover maps, but other reports suggest that much of this forest is degraded. A part of Mt Kulasi lies within Bicol Nature Reserve, where the habitats present include lowland evergreen rain forest (now largely cleared or degraded), secondary grassland, agricultural land, plantations, small settlements and rural gardens. The area of old growth dipterocarp forest remaining in the park was recently estimated at 792 ha. The main landuses within the park are forestry and permanent agriculture. The park includes the Lupi-Libmonan-Sipocot Watershed.
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 avifauna of Mt Kulasi is very poorly known, but several of the threatened and restricted-range species of the Luzon Endemic Bird Area are recorded from Bicol Nature Reserve, and presumably occur in the IBA.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Mt Kulasi is in eastern Camarines Norte province, on the border with Camarines Sur. A block of old growth forest is shown around the mountain on recent forest cover maps, but other reports suggest that much of this forest is degraded. A part of Mt Kulasi lies within Bicol Nature Reserve, where the habitats present include lowland evergreen rain forest (now largely cleared or degraded), secondary grassland, agricultural land, plantations, small settlements and rural gardens. The area of old growth dipterocarp forest remaining in the park was recently estimated at 792 ha. The main landuses within the park are forestry and permanent agriculture. The park includes the Lupi-Libmonan-Sipocot Watershed.
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 33 | |
| Forest | 67 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Bicol National Park is under persistent pressure from logging activities, which has reduced the forest cover there. Other pressures include agricultural expansion and intensification, the collection of forest products, charcoal making and development. The parts of the IBA outside the park presumably face similar pressures