Data Zone
Country/territory: Philippines
IBA criteria met: A1, A4i, A4iii (2001)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 5,800 ha
| IBA conservation status | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment (most recent) | State (condition) | Pressure (threat) | Response (action) |
| 2001 | not assessed | high | not assessed |
| For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here | |||
Site description (2001 baseline)
Olango is a low lying island off the east coast of Mactan Island (PH070). It lies between Cebu and Bohol Islands, 4 km east of Mactan and 15 km east of Cebu City. It is relatively accessible as it is close to Cebu Mactan International Airport.
The main habitats include extensive intertidal coralline sand flats and mudflats, mangrove swamps, seagrass beds and coral reefs (note that the area given above includes about 2,900 ha of intertidal flats). There are coconut plantations and a few small areas of agricultural crops in the interior of the island, and the waters around the island support an important fishery. Olango Island is popular with visiting birdwatchers.
Key biodiversity
Olango Island is one of the most important staging areas for migratory shorebirds in the central Philippines. Over 10,000 shorebirds have been recorded at one time in the 1980’s, and the total number using the site may be as many as 50,000. These include significant numbers of Asian Dowitcher, for which Olango is the most important site known in the Philippines, and the numbers of several other waterbird species, including Eurasian Curlew and Far Eastern Curlew, are probably of international importance. Olango is notable for the concentrations of the threatened Chinese Egret and Philippine Duck that occur there.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Olango Island (Philippines). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/olango-island-iba-philippines on 22/11/2024.