Mount Tago Range (9793)
Philippines, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2006
National site name: Mount Tago Range
Central coordinates: Latitude: 8.3333, Longitude: 125.0833
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 2112
Area of KBA (km2): 833.69173
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The Mt Tago range, including Mt Amaloi, lies between the Tagaloan and Pulangi Rivers, to the north-east of Mt Kitanglad (PH094) and south-west of the Mt Kaluayan Mt Kinabalian complex (PH092). The IBA includes a large block of old growth forest that is shown on recent forest cover maps. The main forest type in Mt Tago is reported to be montane mossy forest, but there may also be some area of lowland forest on the lower slopes. The Mt Tago range is the source of the Pulangi and Tagoloan Rivers, which provide water for domestic and irrigation purposes in the surrounding lowlands. The indigenous inhabitants, the Higao-non and Dumagat tribes, farm “lati” or permanent forest plots.
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 Mt Tago range is ornithologically very poorly known, although there is a recent report of Philippine Eagle from nearby. It is likely that many of the threatened and restricted-range species of the Mindanao and Eastern Visayas Endemic Bird Area occur there, and the avifauna may prove to be similar to that of nearby Mt Kitanglad (PH094).
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: The Mt Tago range, including Mt Amaloi, lies between the Tagaloan and Pulangi Rivers, to the north-east of Mt Kitanglad (PH094) and south-west of the Mt Kaluayan Mt Kinabalian complex (PH092). The IBA includes a large block of old growth forest that is shown on recent forest cover maps. The main forest type in Mt Tago is reported to be montane mossy forest, but there may also be some area of lowland forest on the lower slopes. The Mt Tago range is the source of the Pulangi and Tagoloan Rivers, which provide water for domestic and irrigation purposes in the surrounding lowlands. The indigenous inhabitants, the Higao-non and Dumagat tribes, farm “lati” or permanent forest plots.
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 33 | |
| Forest | 67 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: There are no tenured migrants within the proposed Mt Tago Range Natural Park. The indigenous inhabitants, the Higao-non and Dumagat tribes, do not practice kaingin, and there is therefore less pressure on the forests than in many other IBAs on Mindanao, although the proposed park has cultivated areas totalling about 392 ha.