Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Ragay Gulf lies between the Bicol and Bondoc Peninsulas, in Quezon and Camarines Sur Provinces, south-eastern Luzon. It is a protected gulf with an estuary in the northern part created by drainage from the mountains of the northern Bicol region (including Mt Labo: PH029). There are areas of largely intact mangrove along the coast, with intertidal mudflats, particularly in protected bays such as Peris Bay. The area supports some of the largest tracts of mangrove forest on Luzon, and there are some coral reefs offshore. Coconut plantations dominate the vegetation on the adjacent degraded hillsides.
There are local fisheries in the vicinity of all of the mangrove areas, which are of considerable local importance. Mangroves are harvested for timber and other products, and mangrove forest has been converted to aquaculture ponds in Guinayangan and Buenavista. The principal land use in the adjacent uplands is agriculture, mainly the cultivation of coconuts and maize, but the soils in this region are poor. The mangrove forest provides a natural barrier against coastal erosion. The Gulf is important for scientific research, as it constitutes one of the few sites in Luzon with large areas of mangrove forest still in a healthy condition.
Ragay Gulf is an important area for migratory herons and shorebirds. Up to 5,000 shorebirds have been counted there, but the area may hold even more birds during the peak migration seasons. Significant numbers of the threatened Chinese Egret have been recorded, and Great Egret has occurred there in internationally important numbers.
Ragay Gulf lies between the Bicol and Bondoc Peninsulas, in Quezon and Camarines Sur Provinces, south-eastern Luzon. It is a protected gulf with an estuary in the northern part created by drainage from the mountains of the northern Bicol region (including Mt Labo: PH029). There are areas of largely intact mangrove along the coast, with intertidal mudflats, particularly in protected bays such as Peris Bay. The area supports some of the largest tracts of mangrove forest on Luzon, and there are some coral reefs offshore. Coconut plantations dominate the vegetation on the adjacent degraded hillsides.
There are local fisheries in the vicinity of all of the mangrove areas, which are of considerable local importance. Mangroves are harvested for timber and other products, and mangrove forest has been converted to aquaculture ponds in Guinayangan and Buenavista. The principal land use in the adjacent uplands is agriculture, mainly the cultivation of coconuts and maize, but the soils in this region are poor. The mangrove forest provides a natural barrier against coastal erosion. The Gulf is important for scientific research, as it constitutes one of the few sites in Luzon with large areas of mangrove forest still in a healthy condition.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Ragay Gulf is threatened by the conversion of mangrove forest to aquaculture ponds and also by siltation. Mangroves are harvested for timber and other products, and mangrove forest has been converted to aquaculture ponds in Guinayangan and Buenavista. However, many of the fishponds along the seaward edge have been eroded by wave action and abandoned. A scheme to dam the upper section of the Gulf from Catimo to Guinyangan for use as a large scale aquaculture project has failed. The continued denudation of the remaining forested patches in the water catchment area is causing increased soil erosion and this is resulting in increased siltation in the coastal wetlands.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
Howes (1987) proposed the management of suitable areas (particularly near Guinayangan and Buenavista) for mangrove replanting schemes, and the strict application of the Bureau of Forest Development's guidelines for aquaculture development (i.e. Presidential Decree No.750) in the conversion of further areas to fish ponds.
Not officially protected.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Ragay Gulf (Philippines). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/ragay-gulf-iba-philippines on 23/11/2024.
