Data Zone
Country/territory: Malaysia
IBA Criteria met: A1, A3, A4iv (2004)
For more information about IBA criteria please click here
Area: 60 ha
Protection status:
Site description
Tanjung Tuan (also known as Cape Rachado) is a rocky promontory, which faces the Straits of Melaka in the west. The site offers the shortest water crossing (38 km) to and from Tanjung Medang, the extreme north point of Pulau Rupat, a small island adjacent to Sumatra, west Indonesia for at least five species of migrating raptors (DWNP, 1994).Coral reefs can only be found here in the west coast of the peninsula (Goh and Sasekumar, 1980). Tanjung Tuan is also a national historical and heritage site. The lighthouse is the oldest in the country. It is still being used as a guide for shipping and had been operational since during the Portuguese conquest (16th century) of Melaka. The waters off the area contain several old shipping wrecks as there were several sea battles during various periods for the control of maritime trade along the Straits. Tanjung Tuan is also a recreational area, which is popular with the weekend crowd.
Key biodiversity
Tanjung Tuan is Malaysia's most important site for migratory raptors in South-east Asia (Zalles and Bildstein, 2000). Large numbers of migrating raptors especially the Crested Honey-Buzzard have been recorded since 1960s congregating at this bottleneck promontory during their spring migration therefore qualifying for nomination under category A4iv Congregations (Wells, 1974, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1990a, 1990b; White, 1961; Yeap, 2000, 2003; Medway and Nisbet, 1965, 1967, 1968; Medway and Wells, 1964; Jeyarajasingam et al., 2000b). Fifty-four species of birds have been recorded in the reserve (DWNP, 1994).
Non-bird biodiversity: (I) Globally threatened mammals (IUCN, 2002): VULNERABLE: Smooth Otter Lutrogale perspicillata; NEAR THREATENED: Long-tailed Macaque Macaca fascicularisSilver leaf monkey(II) Globally threatened reptiles (IUCN, 2002): ENDANGERED: Green Turtle Chelonia mydas(III) Globally threatened plants (IUCN, 2002): CRITICAL: Dipterocarpus kerii
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2021) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Tanjung Tuan. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 28/01/2021.
