Pulau Manuk
Location:
5°33'S, 130°18'E; in the Banda Sea, 200 km south of eastern Seram and 115 km SSE of Pulau Banda, Kabupaten Maluku Tengah, Moluccas.
Area:
200 ha.
Altitude:
Sea level to 300m.
Biogeographical Province:
5.1.13.
Wetland type:
03.
Description of site:
A small, very remote, volcanic island in the Banda Sea, with fumerole activity at the summit and a large, deep crater at the southern end.
Climatic conditions:
Tropical maritime climate.
Principal vegetation:
The slopes of the island, up to about 200m elevation, are partly covered with Pisonia and Ficus trees. The trees reach their greatest heights and densities on the northern and western sides of the island, where they are sheltered from the southeast monsoon.
Land tenure:
State owned.
Conservation measures taken:
The island was declared a Wildlife Reserve (Suaka Margasatwa) in 1981.
Conservation measures proposed:
Gardens inthe northeastern side of the islandshould be removed, and steps should be taken to eradicate introduced rats and cats (de Korte, 1984).
Land use:
Nature Protection
Disturbances and threats:
There is some habitat disturbance on the northeastern side of the islands (gardens), and introduced predators, notably Rattus norvegicus and domestic cats, have probably contributed to the drastic decline in numbers of breeding sea-birds since the early 1970s. There is also some egg-collecting by visiting fishermen.
Economic and social values:
The sea-birds play an important role in the local fishing industry by guiding fishermen to shoals of fish.
Fauna:
The island is one of the most important nesting sites for sea-birds in the South Pacific. In the early 1970s, approximately 90,000 sea-birds were present. In 1981, however, de Korte (1984) estimated that there were no morde than 20,000 birds on the island. These included 300-900 pairs of Phaethon aetherus, 3.000-6,000 pairs of Sula sula (with 2,500 - 5,000 non-breeders), 2,500 - 5,000 pairs of S. leucogaster, 1,200 - 2,400 pairs of Fregata minor, some pairs of Sterna anaethetus and five pairs of Anous stolidus. Three species which were present in the early 1970s, namely Phaethon lepturus, Sula dactylatra and fregata ariel, were not found in 1981.
Special floral values:
Not known.
Research and facilities:
Seabird surveys were carried out in the early 1970s and 1981.
References:
de Korte (1984); MacKinnon & Artha (1981b).
Criteria for Inclusion:
1b, 2c, 3a.
Source:
Marcel J. Silvius and Alison Skene.