Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Mt Sugarloaf is about 30 km inland from Pagadian City, to the south-west of Mt Malindang (PH107). The mountain rises to over 1,500 m, so the forests around the peak are montane. In 1997, the lowland forests on the slopes of Mt Sugarloaf were found to be heavily degraded, with kaingins up to an altitude of 900 m. Nearby Mt Pinukis, however, retained good forest cover and is therefore included in the IBA. It was estimated in 1997 that the forest on Mt Pinukis and adjacent mountains could total more than 22,000 ha.
Several of the threatened and restricted-range species of the Mindanao and Eastern Visayas Endemic Bird Area have been recorded on Mt Sugarloaf, including Philippine Eagle, mainly during a collecting expedition in 1969. Most of the species recorded then were lowland and mid-altitude forest specialists, including the threatened Silvery Kingfisher, Wattled Broadbill, Philippine Leafbird and Celestial Monarch, suggesting that the montane forests near the mountain peaks were not fully surveyed. It is likely that the avifauna of Mt Sugarloaf will prove to be similar to that of nearby Mt Malindang (PH107).
Mt Sugarloaf is about 30 km inland from Pagadian City, to the south-west of Mt Malindang (PH107). The mountain rises to over 1,500 m, so the forests around the peak are montane. In 1997, the lowland forests on the slopes of Mt Sugarloaf were found to be heavily degraded, with kaingins up to an altitude of 900 m. Nearby Mt Pinukis, however, retained good forest cover and is therefore included in the IBA. It was estimated in 1997 that the forest on Mt Pinukis and adjacent mountains could total more than 22,000 ha.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The forests of this IBA are under pressure from encroachment for kaingin.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
In 1997, the CENRO was finalising the technical requirements to declare Mt Pinukis as a new protected area under the NIPAS.
Surveys are required in this IBA, to investigate the current status of the threatened and restricted-range birds and other biodiversity.
Not officially protected.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Mount Sugarloaf (Philippines). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/mount-sugarloaf-iba-philippines on 23/12/2024.
