Olango Island (9769)
Philippines, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2006
National site name: Olango Island
Central coordinates: Latitude: 10.2667, Longitude: 124.0500
System: marine, terrestrial
Area of KBA (km2): 16.18504
Protected area coverage (%): 3.78
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Olango is a low lying island off the east coast of Mactan Island (PH070). It lies between Cebu and Bohol Islands, 4 km east of Mactan and 15 km east of Cebu City. It is relatively accessible as it is close to Cebu Mactan International Airport. The main habitats include extensive intertidal coralline sand flats and mudflats, mangrove swamps, seagrass beds and coral reefs (note that the area given above includes about 2,900 ha of intertidal flats). There are coconut plantations and a few small areas of agricultural crops in the interior of the island, and the waters around the island support an important fishery. Olango Island is popular with visiting birdwatchers.
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: Olango Island is one of the most important staging areas for migratory shorebirds in the central Philippines. Over 10,000 shorebirds have been recorded at one time in the 1980’s, and the total number using the site may be as many as 50,000. These include significant numbers of Asian Dowitcher, for which Olango is the most important site known in the Philippines, and the numbers of several other waterbird species, including Eurasian Curlew and Far Eastern Curlew, are probably of international importance. Olango is notable for the concentrations of the threatened Chinese Egret and Philippine Duck that occur there.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Olango is a low lying island off the east coast of Mactan Island (PH070). It lies between Cebu and Bohol Islands, 4 km east of Mactan and 15 km east of Cebu City. It is relatively accessible as it is close to Cebu Mactan International Airport. The main habitats include extensive intertidal coralline sand flats and mudflats, mangrove swamps, seagrass beds and coral reefs (note that the area given above includes about 2,900 ha of intertidal flats). There are coconut plantations and a few small areas of agricultural crops in the interior of the island, and the waters around the island support an important fishery. Olango Island is popular with visiting birdwatchers.
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 10 | |
| Forest | 20 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 50 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 20 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Olango has a small resident population mostly of fishermen, who depend totally on the coastal resources for their livelihood. Gleaning of the flats for sea urchins and commercial shells (in high demand as Cebu is a major tourist destination) and fishing are most important. However, there is extremely heavy pressure on the coastal resources, with serious over-exploitation. Coral gathering for export is carried out despite being illegal, with offshore dynamite and cyanide fishing. Utilisation of mangroves for firewood is carried out, and they are cut indiscriminately for domestic use. Most of the mangrove trees are low growing and scrubby due to continuous cutting for firewood. Some areas have already been replanted with mangroves, and there are government schemes for further replanting. The main threat to the waterbird populations is heavy hunting pressure from organised groups of hunters from Cebu and Mandaue cities. These hunters specialise in shorebirds, particularly the larger species.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Unintentional effects: large scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Intentional use (species being assessed is the target) | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Custodio (1996); Davies et al. (1990); Scott (1989).