Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
The Mariveles Mountains are in southern Bataan province, near the entrance to Manila Bay (PH010), and rise steeply from sea level to 1,420 m. An area of forest is shown there on recent forest cover maps, which is reported to include both lowland and montane forest, including mossy forest. This includes old reforestation plantations in the former Lamao Arsenal and old growth forest at the peak of Mt Mariveles.
Many of the threatened and restricted-range birds of the Luzon Endemic Bird Areas have been recorded in or near to this IBA, but there is little recent information on their status there. This is the only site in the Philippines where Ijima's Leaf-warbler has been recorded, although this species is difficult to locate and identify and presumably also winters elsewhere in the islands. It is also notable for the records of the highly threatened Isabela Oriole. This species, Luzon Striped-babbler and Furtive Flycatcher appear to have an unusual disjunct distribution, being recorded from the Bataan peninsula and the Sierra Madre in eastern Luzon. However, this may prove to be a result of gaps in the coverage of some other parts of Luzon by ornithologists. A subspecies of Elegant Tit, Parus elegans gilliardi, is only known from the Bataan peninsula.
Non-bird biodiversity: Baseline surveys of the mammals and herpetofauna have yet to be conducted in the area.
The Mariveles Mountains are in southern Bataan province, near the entrance to Manila Bay (PH010), and rise steeply from sea level to 1,420 m. An area of forest is shown there on recent forest cover maps, which is reported to include both lowland and montane forest, including mossy forest. This includes old reforestation plantations in the former Lamao Arsenal and old growth forest at the peak of Mt Mariveles.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Potential threats to this IBA include exploration for mining, should current applications be approved.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
Surveys are required in this IBA, to investigate both the extent and quality of the remaining habitats and the current status of the threatened and restricted-range birds and other biodiversity.
The Mariveles Watershed Forest Reserve was established through R.A. 3092 in July 1996. It is proposed as a Natural Park under the NIPAS.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Mariveles mountains (Philippines). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/mariveles-mountains-iba-philippines on 22/11/2024.
