EXPLORE the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary with this slideshow, check the location map and get all the facts and information below.

Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary
Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary

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Location and Values: The Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary protects a forested mountain ridge that forms the spine of the Pujada Peninsula in the south-east of Mindanao Island. It is an area of outstanding importance for its biodiversity, especially the number of Philippine island endemic species, and its many rare and endangered plants and animals.  The site covers a range of elevation from 75 to 1,637 m, with five recognised plant communities zoned according to altitude.  At lower altitudes secondary agro-ecosystems are found, with dipterocarp forest on the lower slopes (to about 900 m a.s.l.).  Above this there are zones of (1) montane forest (900-1,160m), (2) cloud forest (1,150-1,350m) and (3) pygmy ‘bonsai’ forest to the mountain summits. These habitats support some iconic species such as the critically endangered Philippine Eagle and Philippine cockatoo.

The biodiversity of the site has not yet been fully documented, but an indication of its importance for biodiversity is provided by records indicating that 75% of the 16 recorded amphibians are endemic, along with 84% of its reptiles, 30% of its 108 species of birds and 33% of its 142 butterflies.  Mount Hamiguitan provides critical habitat for many threatened plants, including five species of Dipterocarp trees (in the genus Shorea), and three species of pitcher plant (Nepenthes) which are endemic to the site.

Conservation Status and Prospects. According to IUCN’s Conservation Outlook Assessment (2020) the conservation status of the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary is ‘good’. The IUCN report notes that the site benefits from strong legal protection, an integrated management planning framework, effective stakeholder participation and management.  Conflict and insecurity across Mindanao has been a recent problem, but this has now abated and martial law is no longer in force. There are however, some potential threats to the site including the possible impacts of land clearance and mining in adjacent areas, as well as emerging issues such as climate change and increases in tourism to the site.

Links:
Google Earth
Official UNESCO Site Details
IUCN Conservation Outlook
UNEP-WCMC Site Description
Birdlife IBA

Slideshow description

The short slideshow illustrates some key features of the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary, including its visitor centre and a distant landscape view of the mountain. Some of the most important species of conservation interest are illustrated including two species of insectivorous pitcher plants, the Philippine cockatoo, Philippine eagle and Philippine warty pig.

The following Flickr photographers are acknowledged with thanks for their contributions to this slideshow (as credited in the watermark of each photo): Kleo Marlo, Sylvia Ramos, Alex Curylo, SIPAT View From the Edge, Eddy Lee and Mark Baldwin.  Note that the bird and pig photos are from other locations (including animals in captivity), and may vary slightly in appearance from individuals in the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary.

Factfile

Website Category:
Islands
Area: 169 km2

Inscribed: 2014

UNESCO Criteria:

  • Natural habitat for biodiversity (x);
  • Significant number of rare, endemic and/or endangered species (x)

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