Mount Piagayungan (9798)
Philippines, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2001
National site name: Mount Piagayungan
Central coordinates: Latitude: 7.6833, Longitude: 124.5667
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 2806
Area of KBA (km2): 509.36315
Protected area coverage (%): 80.47
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Mt Piagayungan lies to the southeast of Lake Lanao (PH097) and immediately east of the Butig Mountains (PH099), on the borders between Lanao del Sur, North Cotabato and Maguindanao Provinces. It rises to 2,806 m, and still has extensive forests. Most of the forests on the southern slopes of Mt. Piagayungan are above 1,000 m, and therefore montane in type, and are not subject to substantial commercial logging. These forests are an important part of the Lake Lanao 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)
Additional biodiversity: Several of the threatened and restricted-range species of the Mindanao and Eastern Visayas Endemic Bird Area were recorded on Mt Piagayungan during a collecting expedition in 1970, but much remains to be learned about the avifauna of these mountains. The birds recorded in 1970 included both montane and lowland forest species. The montane birds are probably secure in the extensive areas of forest that remain around the mountain peaks. The lowland forest birds, such as Silvery Kingfisher, must have declined dramatically there as a result of the wholesale loss of forest from the slopes below 1,000 m because of commercial logging. The extensive forests in this IBA are probably important for the conservation of Philippine Eagle.
Delineation rationale: 02/2008: following IBA/KBA crosswalk, two 2001 IBAs -- Mount Piagayungan (SitRecID 9798) and Butig mountains (SitRecID 9799) -- have been merged to form the 2006 KBA Mount Piagayungan and Butig Mountains (SitRecID 22335).
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Mt Piagayungan lies to the southeast of Lake Lanao (PH097) and immediately east of the Butig Mountains (PH099), on the borders between Lanao del Sur, North Cotabato and Maguindanao Provinces. It rises to 2,806 m, and still has extensive forests. Most of the forests on the southern slopes of Mt. Piagayungan are above 1,000 m, and therefore montane in type, and are not subject to substantial commercial logging. These forests are an important part of the Lake Lanao Watershed.
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 67 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 33 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The northern slopes of Mt Piagayungan are part of the Lake Lanao Watershed. The major problems within the watershed include land claims by migrants, cattle ranchers and rebel returnees. Other problems include illegal logging, small-scale mining and quarrying activities and soil erosion. The continuing use of tractor logging and cable skidding has badly degraded the remaining forests in the slopes of Mt Piagayungan. Migration from the lowlands has also resulted in the conversion of logged-over forests to farms, and, as the farming techniques used are unsustainable, more and more forests are converted to farmland in order to maintain production.