Mount Matutum (9804)
Philippines, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: B2
Year of last assessment: 2006
National site name: Mount Matutum
Central coordinates: Latitude: 6.3667, Longitude: 125.0833
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 1290 to 2293
Area of KBA (km2): 188.80439
Protected area coverage (%): 67.87
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Mt Matutum is a steep mountain north of the town of General Santos in South Cotabato Province. A recent forest cover survey reported that the forest stands on Mt Matutum are found at 1,290 to 2,270 m, and are therefore all montane in type. Mt Matutum has a forest reserve of 14,000 ha, of which c.3,000 ha is reported to still be primary forest. The boundaries of this reserve are used to define the IBA.
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: Many of the threatened and restricted-range species of the Mindanao and Eastern Visayas Endemic Bird Area have been recorded on Mt Matutum, most of them during collecting expeditions in the 1960s. They include several montane forest specialists, which are likely to still have substantial populations in the remaining montane forests there, including Mindanao Racquet-tail, Whiskered Flowerpacker, Olive-capped Flowerpecker, Black-masked White-eye and the threatened Blue-capped Kingfisher. However, almost all of the forest has been cleared from the lower slopes of Mt Matutum, and this IBA is unlikely to support significant populations of the lowland and mid-altitude forest specialists which were found there in the past, such as Mindanao Bleeding-heart, Mindanao Brown-dove, Spotted Imperial-pigeon, Wattled Broadbill, Philippine Leafbird and Celestial Monarch. Philippine Eagle has recently been recorded on Mt Matutum, and this IBA is probably still important for the conservation of this critically endangered species. A subspecies of Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Ficedula hyperythra matutumensis is only known from Mt Matutum. Non-bird biodiversity: Several species of threatened mammals are known from Mt Matutum.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Mt Matutum is a steep mountain north of the town of General Santos in South Cotabato Province. A recent forest cover survey reported that the forest stands on Mt Matutum are found at 1,290 to 2,270 m, and are therefore all montane in type. Mt Matutum has a forest reserve of 14,000 ha, of which c.3,000 ha is reported to still be primary forest. The boundaries of this reserve are used to define the IBA.
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 67 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 33 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The major threats in the forests on Mt Matutum include clearance for farming and pasture, and the extraction of logs and other forest products. In 1986, a Philippine Eagle breeding attempt failed because the area around the nest was burned by kaingeros, and in 1998, a large area at Upper Linan was found to have been totally cleared, and most of the forest edges had been burned.