Current view: Text account
Site description (2003 baseline):
Site location and context
Topography is flat up to hilly, and high mountains in the southern part with the highest peak is Gunung Binaya (3207 m) which is the highest in Moluccas.There are 5 villages of indigenous people of Seram, in the enclave of the national park; Manusela, Elemata, Maraina, Selumena and Kanikeh. People work as dry land farmer, hunting, collect forest product such as sago, rattan, resin, eaglewood (gaharu), and catching bird, which they sale to the coas or barter it with equipment they need. Other people live in the coastal area in northern and southern part of the area.
This area has 28 restricted-range bird species, and also important for Seram Cockatoo
Cacatua moluccensis population.
Non-bird biodiversity: The important faunas (endemic of Seram Island) are:Suncus murinus, Melomys aerosus, Melomys fraterculus, Rattus ceramicus, Rattus feliceus, Platymantis papuensis, Rana grisea ceramemsis, Rana modesta, Litoria vagabunda (Edwards et.al.1993, Balai Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam Wilayah VIII Maluku Irian Jaya 1996, Monk et.al.1997, Hitipeuw & Tuhumury 1999 obs.pri.).
Evergreen rainforest and few of semi-evergreen rainforests in the north (Monk et.al.1997). Vegetation types are beaches, mangrove, lowland swamp forest, lowland rainforest, lower mountain rainforest, intermediate mountain rainforest, high mountain forest and subalpin forest (MacKinnon & Artha 1981).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Logging, road development (Trans-Seram highway), encroachment by plantation company, mining (MacKinnon & Artha 1981, Monk
et.al.1997), shifting agriculture, (Balai Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam Wilayah VIII Maluku Irian Jaya 1996), parrot catching (mainly
Lorius domicela, Eos semilarvata, and
Cacatua molucensis) for trade,
Sus scrova, Cervus timorensis and Casuarius casuarius for consumtion or trade (MacKinnon & Artha 1981, Edwards et.al.1993).
189000 ha of this area has been declared as National Park based on SK Menteri Pertanian No.736/Mentan/X/1982 on 14 October1982. Manusela National Park covers 10.5% of Seram Island (Balai Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam Wilayah VIII Maluku Irian Jaya 1996, Sub Seksi Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam Maluku 1997).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Manusela (Indonesia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/manusela-iba-indonesia on 22/11/2024.
