Country/territory: Philippines
IBA criteria met: A1, A2 (2001)
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Area: 10,000 ha
Site description (2001 baseline)
Mt Diwata is at the southern end of the Diwata range in Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur Provinces in north-eastern Mindanao. This IBA includes the forested southern section of this range, south of Mt Hilong-Hilong (PH083) (the boundary between the two IBA’s is at c.9 o N). The southern part of the Diwata range is relatively low, the highest peak rising to only 1,261 m. A large block of old growth forest is shown in this IBA on recent forest cover maps. The forest will be montane around the higher peaks of the IBA, but there are also likely to be substantial areas of lowland forest on the lower slopes.
Key biodiversity
Several of the threatened and restricted-range species of the Mindanao and Eastern Visayas Endemic Bird Area have been recorded in or near to the Mt Diwata range, including Philippine Eagle, mostly during a collecting expedition in 1976. The mountains around Mt Diwata are less well studied than Mt Hilong-hilong (PH083) in the northern section of the Diwata range, but they are likely to prove to have a similar avifauna. The extensive lowland and montane forests that are reported to survive in this IBA could therefore support significant populations of many species of conservation concern, and the lowland forests may prove to be particularly important.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Mount Diwata Range (Philippines). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/mount-diwata-range-iba-philippines on 22/11/2024.