Mount Balatukan (9791)
Philippines, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: B2
Year of last assessment: 2006
National site name: Mount Balatukan
Central coordinates: Latitude: 8.7333, Longitude: 125.0667
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 2442
Area of KBA (km2): 352.38402
Protected area coverage (%): 23.94
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Mt Balatukan is in eastern Misamis Oriental Province, in north-eastern Mindanao. It rises steeply to a long ridge with several peaks of almost 2,000 m and one of 2,442 m. The mountains retain extensive forest cover, and old growth forest is estimated to cover 6,500 ha. This is mainly montane forest, including mossy forest. The extent of primary lowland forest has been greatly reduced by logging and kaingin activities, and in 1997 this forest type was reported to be almost absent from the mountain. There are some areas of residual forest and cogon grassland.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs. 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: Several of the threatened and restricted-range species of the Mindanao and Eastern Visayas Endemic Bird Area have been recorded on or near to Mt Balatukan, mainly during a collecting expedition to nearby Civoleg and Daggayan in 1961. There are several recent records of Philippine Eagle from the vicinity of the mountain, and it is likely that the forests there support a significant population of this critically endangered bird. The extensive montane forests in the IBA are likely to prove to be important for many more species of conservation concern. A subspecies of Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Ficedula hyperythra daggayana is only known from Daggayan. Non-bird biodiversity: There have been no surveys of the mammals on the mountain, but it may support many of the endemic Mindanao species which occur at high elevations.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Mt Balatukan is in eastern Misamis Oriental Province, in north-eastern Mindanao. It rises steeply to a long ridge with several peaks of almost 2,000 m and one of 2,442 m. The mountains retain extensive forest cover, and old growth forest is estimated to cover 6,500 ha. This is mainly montane forest, including mossy forest. The extent of primary lowland forest has been greatly reduced by logging and kaingin activities, and in 1997 this forest type was reported to be almost absent from the mountain. There are some areas of residual forest and cogon grassland.
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 67 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 33 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The forests on the southern portion of the Mt Balatukan range above Claveria were cleared by a logging company, MAC International Development, Inc., prior to the suspension of their timber license (TLA No. 349) in 1989. The main threats to the remaining forests are timber extraction and the conversion or clearing of forest for permanent agricultural and kaingin. Wildlife hunting and rattan gathering are also widespread.
Additional information
References: Haribon Foundation (1998).