Avifaunal assemblage in the expansion sites of the Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary, Mindanao, Philippines

Abstract

The Protected Area of the Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary (MHRWS) was proposed for expansion in 2016 to protect the remaining biodiversity of the buffer zones and to fortify the core zone. This study provides data on avifaunal assemblage and assessment on the added value of the ca. 2.99 km 2 MHRWS expansion sites to the already protected zone. A combination of transect line survey and mist netting technique were used to sample bird species in four sampling sites in the MHRWS expansion sites. Our inventory of the MHRWS expansion sites revealed 41 species of birds distributed to 10 orders, 24 families and 34 genera. This adds 24 avifauna species to the previously reported birds in Mt. Hamiguitan Range making it a home to 83 species. The low species diversity in the MHRWS expansion sites could be attributed to the poor soil, low forest productivity and habitat loss. The presence of threatened and endemic species of birds in the Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary expansion sites appeals for conservation initiatives by the stakeholders.

Conservation ecology of birds in Mt. Hilong-hilong, a Key Biodiversity Area on Mindanao Island, the Philippines

“…Bolstering efforts promoting transparent and collaborative science-based conservation intervention is central to better complement and sustain existing conservation management not only in Mt. Hilong-hilong (Mohagan et al 2015;Amoroso et al 2018) but across all other important biodiversity sites in the country (Fig. 5).…”

“…The Island of Mindanao in the southern part of the Philippines holds many biodiversity-rich ecosystems with a high concentration of endemic species (Paz et al 2013;Sanguila et al 2016;Amoroso et al 2019). The majority of the endemic and threatened species are concentrated in intact forests identified or protected by the government to conserve the species from total extinction (Sanguila et al 2016;Amoroso et al 2019).…”

Diversity of understory flowering plants in the forest patches of Marilog District, Philippines

“…The total understory plants documented in this study is relatively high compared to the studies conducted at the expansion sites of Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary (MHRWS) by Amoroso et al (2018b) with 30 species (referred as herbs and vines) and Amoroso et al (2018c) with 29 species (termed as other plants). Since the study area is a tropical lower montane rainforest, current findings support the report of Kessler et al (2010) that several factors may affect local montane species richness in the Philippines, such as the size of the area sampled, climate conditions, soil type, and geographic location.…”

Beyond Sustainability: Positioning Regenerative Futures in a Philippine State University

“…Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary (MHRWS). More than 1,380 species with 341 Philippine endemics are found in the sanctuary, including the critically endangered Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi), among other ecologically-important faunal and floral species (Amoroso et al, 2018;Amoroso et al, 2019;Medina et al, 2019;Supsup et al, 2017;Cabras et al, 2021). One of the renowned attractions in the mountain range is the century-old pygmy forest growing on ultramafic soil.…”