Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape (9780)
Philippines, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2006
National site name: Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape
Central coordinates: Latitude: 9.7333, Longitude: 124.2167
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 200 to 800
Area of KBA (km2): 124.07223
Protected area coverage (%): 86.71
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Rajah Sikatuna National Park is about 8 km inland from the national road of Bilar, in the low mountain range in the south of the Bohol Island. Practically all of the significant forest on Bohol is inside this park, with only patches of intermingled plantations and dipterocarp forest elsewhere on the island. The park is characterised by rolling hills with remnant natural forest on steep limestone terrain, surrounded by plantation forest, deforested hills and grassland. Limestone (molave) forest covers c.60% of the park, grassland c.15%, forestry and agro-industrial plantations c.5%, and permanent agricultural areas c.10%. Four natural springs, the Logarita, Anislag, Mabugnao and Aghuban springs, flow down from the park and provide the water supply to the surrounding municipalities. There is a small settlement composed of approximately a hundred households, and about 10% of the park has been converted to agricultural land. The park is an attractive destination for tourists because of the chocolate hill formations, the heavily forested hills and the extensive network of good trails.
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: Rajah Sikatuna National Park is a popular site for birdwatchers, and there are many recent records of the threatened and restricted-range species of the Mindanao and Eastern Visayas Endemic Bird Area. These include all three species endemic to the Eastern Visayas, Samar Hornbill, Visayan Broadbill and Yellow-breasted Tailorbird. It is one of only a handful of sites where the threatened Mindanao Bleeding-heart and Azure-breasted Pitta have been recorded recently. Five subspecies of birds are endemic to Bohol, Streaked Ground-Babbler Ptilocichla mindanensis fortichi, Black-crowned Babbler Stachyris nigrocapitata boholensis, Rufous-tailed Jungle-Flycatcher Rhinomyias ruficauda boholensis, Yellow-bellied Whistler Pachycephala philippensis boholensis and Metallic-winged Sunbird Aethopyga pulcherrima decorosa, and the forests in Rajah Sikatuna National Park are also essential for their conservation. Non-bird biodiversity: The park also holds six species of large mammals: Philippine Tarsier Tarsius syrichta, Long-tailed Macaque Macaca fascicularis, Philippine Flying Lemur Cynocephalus volans, Malay Civet Viverra tangalunga, Common Palm Civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus and Wild Pig Sus philippensis. Caves in the park are important for bats and swiftlets.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Rajah Sikatuna National Park is about 8 km inland from the national road of Bilar, in the low mountain range in the south of the Bohol Island. Practically all of the significant forest on Bohol is inside this park, with only patches of intermingled plantations and dipterocarp forest elsewhere on the island. The park is characterised by rolling hills with remnant natural forest on steep limestone terrain, surrounded by plantation forest, deforested hills and grassland. Limestone (molave) forest covers c.60% of the park, grassland c.15%, forestry and agro-industrial plantations c.5%, and permanent agricultural areas c.10%. Four natural springs, the Logarita, Anislag, Mabugnao and Aghuban springs, flow down from the park and provide the water supply to the surrounding municipalities. There is a small settlement composed of approximately a hundred households, and about 10% of the park has been converted to agricultural land. The park is an attractive destination for tourists because of the chocolate hill formations, the heavily forested hills and the extensive network of good trails.
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 67 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 33 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: There are currently problems in Rajah Sikatuna National Park with the collection of firewood and rattans, the hunting and trapping of wildlife, and the clearance of the forest for kaingin in the eastern portion of the park, although these threats are being controlled by DENR.
Additional information
References: Brooks et al. (1995); Lambert (1993).