Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
The islet of Ursula lies approximately 20 km off Brooke's Point in southern Palawan, about one hour by boat from Rio Tuba. The vegetation is old growth lowland forest, with moderate undergrowth, consisting mostly of tree saplings and seedlings.
Fishermen regularly use the island, and there are numerous trails to wells dug in the interior and some small nipa huts. Ursula has been promoted in the past as an ecotourism destination, but it is apparently not visited by many tourists at present.
Ursula Island is notable for the large concentrations of imperial-pigeons that roost there, including substantial numbers of the threatened Grey Imperial-pigeon. However, it has been reported that the numbers of pigeons roosting there have declined substantially in recent years. Mantanani Scops-owl, a restricted-range small-island specialist, has also been recorded on the island. The shoreline is a migratory and wintering ground for shorebirds and the surrounding waters are valuable feeding grounds for seabirds, particularly terns.
The islet of Ursula lies approximately 20 km off Brooke's Point in southern Palawan, about one hour by boat from Rio Tuba. The vegetation is old growth lowland forest, with moderate undergrowth, consisting mostly of tree saplings and seedlings.
Fishermen regularly use the island, and there are numerous trails to wells dug in the interior and some small nipa huts. Ursula has been promoted in the past as an ecotourism destination, but it is apparently not visited by many tourists at present.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The forest on Ursula is relatively undisturbed. However, hunting may be a problem. In the past, it was reported that hunters seasonally visited the island. Many snares were found during a recent visit, in which there were a Barred Rail Gallirallus torquatus and Tabon Scrubfowl Megapodius cumingii, and the crew of a squid-fishing vessel were seen digging for turtle eggs.
It is clear that there has been a significant decline in the numbers of roosting pigeons using Ursula, from an estimated 150,000 to a few thousand birds over the last 60 years. Natural predators such as the Lined Slender Arboreal Snake Dendralaphis caudolineatus may have had a significant impact on populations of nesting birds. This is the only snake recorded on Ursula and it is possible that it is only a recent coloniser of the island, perhaps brought there by man. There are also reports of the introduction of rats, and these are very likely to cause further problems.
Ursula Island Game Refuge and Wildlife Sanctuary (20 ha) was declared by Adm. Order No. 14 on 30 April 1960.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Ursula Island (Philippines). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/ursula-island-iba-philippines on 22/11/2024.
