Site description (2003 baseline)
This area has the highest peak of Gunung Sabatai (1090 m) and the highest area in Morotai Island. Around and inside of the area there are 9 settlements that spread in the western to northern part of the coastal area. Generally, the people who live in the villages are Tobelo people. People work as dry land farmer and some of them also work as fisherman, they also collect medicinal plants, resin, rattan and hunting. The main comodity from plantation are coconut and cacao.
Key biodiversity
Chattering Lory Lorius garrulus live in this area. In 1945, this bird was the commonest parrot species in Morotai Island and Rau (BirdLife International 2001). Population estimate between 1991-1992 was 3848-27120 birds (Lambert 1993 a,b) and considered as a common species (Coates & Bishop 1997). The vulnerable Dusky Friarbird Philemon fuscicapillus also found in this area. In 1945 this bird was very common in this area (Lendon 1946 in BirdLife International 2001). There is no new information about this bird.
Non-bird biodiversity: Fauna: Phalanger sp morotai (endemic of Morotai Island), Cervus timorensis moluccensis.Endemic flora: Mastixia petandra moluccana, Euonymus moluccensis, Bridelia morotaea, Archidendron monopterum and Largestroemia moluccana (Monk et.al.1997)
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Morotai (Indonesia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/morotai-iba-indonesia on 22/11/2024.