Current view: Text account
Site description (2007 baseline):
Site location and context
Located in the centre of the island, approximately 2,250 ha of the 15,000 ha Mt. Diablo IBA area are Forest Reserves. It is part of a central limestone ridge that traverses east-central to western Jamaica. The area contributed to a “Spinal Forest” that once blanketed up to two-thirds of the island. Apart from forest reserves, the remaining privately-owned land is a mix of (a) owned by private company (e.g., bauxite companies); (b) individual (est. < 1000 ha). This site is Crown Land (although some areas may be under private ownership), but is currently unprotected.
This IBA is internationally important for the Endan-gered Jamaican Blackbird
Nesopsar nigerrimus (EN) while 27 of the island’s 28 endemic spe-cies inhabit his area, though population sizes of forest-dependent species are presumed declining because of mining-associated habitat loss. Other species include Black-billed Parrot
Amazona agilis (VU) which occurs at extremely low den-sities: < 1 pair per km), Yellow-billed Parrot
Amazona collaria (VU), Ring-tailed Pigeon
Patagioenas caribaea (VU), and Plain Pi-geon
Patagioenas inornata (NT)
Non-bird biodiversity: Giant Swallowtail Pterourus homerus (EN) has been extirpated from Mount Diablo within the past 80 years. An endemic moth Hypercompe persola was found at this site in 2005, the first record here. Four vascular plant species are en-demic to Mount Diablo: Dipazium montedi-abloense (Polypodiaceae), Polystichum am-biguum (Polypodiaceae), Lepanthes tubuli-flora (Orchidaceae), Psychotria coeloneura (Rubiaceae). None of these plants appears on the 2004 IUCN RedList, but based on the extreme habitat destruction occurring, population status for each should be evaluated immediately.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Conversion of the forest for agriculture, forestry plantations [Pine (
Pinus caribaea), Blue Mahoe (
Hibiscus elatus), Honduran Ma-hogany (
Swietenia macrophylla) and Cedar (
Cedrela odorata); rural settlement, and, within the past 50 years, bauxite mining, has left the central “Spinal Forest” severely fragmented. However, several Forest Reserves within the landscape matrix serve as refugia for native and endemic species, including the Jamaican Blackbird, the island’s highest-ranked bird of conservation concern.
The severity, scope, and irreversibility of bauxite mining calls for immediate conservation attention to protect the remnant reserves; pits where mining was completed > 10-15 years ago, typically have groundcover of herbaceous, stoloniferous vegetation (e.g,
Wedelia spp.), or non-native ferns (e.g,
Nephrolepis spp.), but no regeneration of native woody tree species. Other threats include small scale farming, cattle grazing, illegal timber extraction and illegal poaching of Yellow-billed Parrots.
Treadways is included in the IBA.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Mount Diablo (Jamaica). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/mount-diablo-iba-jamaica on 22/12/2024.
