• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Map
• Reference and further resources

Site description (2001 baseline)
This IBA includes the Victoria and Anapalan mountain ranges and the adjacent foothills and lowlands in central Palawan, to the south-west of Puerto Princesa. There are montane forests on the higher peaks and large tracts of little disturbed lowland forest in the valleys and foothills south-west of Iwahig Penal Colony, in the foothills on the Sulu Sea side of the mountains and to the shoreline on the South China Sea coast in some places. Victoria Peak is reported to support the largest area of ultramafic forest on Palawan, and other habitats there include lowland dipterocarp forest and lower and upper montane forest.

Key biodiversity
Iwahig Penal Colony is currently a popular destination for visiting bird-watchers, and most of the threatened and restricted-range birds of the Palawan Endemic Bird Area have been recorded in this area, including Palawan Striped-babbler, which is known only from montane forests in this IBA and Mt Mantalingajan (PH054). The forests of the Victoria and Anapalan ranges appear to support important populations of the threatened Philippine Cockatoo, Blue-headed Racquet-tail, Palawan Hornbill, Falcated Wren-babbler and Palawan Flycatcher, and possibly also of Palawan Peacock-pheasant.

Non-bird biodiversity: Mammals recorded in this IBA include Palawan tree shrew Tupaia palawensis, Palawan flying fox Acerodon leucotis, northern Palawan tree squirrel Sundasciurus juvencus, Palawan stink-badger Mydaus marchei, binturong Arctictis binturong, and Oriental short-clawed otter Amblonyx cinereus (found in fishponds and mangroves at Iwahig Penal Colony). The endemic Palawan montane tree squirrel Sundasciurus rabori occurs at high elevations there. The Victoria and Anapalan range is the type locality for the Palawan earless sphenomorphus Sphenomorphus palawanensis.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Victoria and Anepahan Ranges (Philippines). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/victoria-and-anepahan-ranges-iba-philippines on 22/12/2024.