Mount Sinaka (9800)
Philippines, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2006
National site name: Mount Sinaka
Central coordinates: Latitude: 7.5000, Longitude: 125.2667
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 1100 to 1448
Area of KBA (km2): 58.75836
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Mt Sinaka is in the north-east of North Cotabato Province. There is forest remaining on the mountain between 1,100 and 1,448 m, including mossy forest above c.1,200 m, but the lower altitude forests are secondary or very badly degraded. This area was logged in the past, and the remaining forest is now surrounded with wide tracts of open grassland and agricultural land.
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: Several of the threatened and restricted-range species of the Mindanao and Eastern Visayas Endemic Bird Area have been recorded in or near to this IBA, including the threatened Philippine Eagle, Philippine Hawk-eagle, Mindanao Brown-dove and Philippine Leafbird. The Philippine Eagle has nested successfully on Mt Sinaka during the 1990s.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Mt Sinaka is in the north-east of North Cotabato Province. There is forest remaining on the mountain between 1,100 and 1,448 m, including mossy forest above c.1,200 m, but the lower altitude forests are secondary or very badly degraded. This area was logged in the past, and the remaining forest is now surrounded with wide tracts of open grassland and agricultural land.
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 33 | |
| Forest | 67 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The forests on Mt Sinaka have been affected by logging in the past, and encroachment for kaingin and the extraction of timber are currently causing habitat loss and degradation in the area.