Mount Carleton Provincial Park (11187)
Canada, North America
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1d
Year of last assessment: 2008
National site name: Mount Carleton Provincial Park
Central coordinates: Latitude: 47.4010, Longitude: -66.8295
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 274 to 820
Area of KBA (km2): 241.04056
Protected area coverage (%): 77.44
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Mount Carleton Provincial Park is located in northern New Brunswick, near the community of Nictau. The region has few roads, and is sparsely populated. The park has the highest elevations in the Maritimes, including Mount Carleton at 820 m. The high rounded hills of the park are mostly forest-covered; particularly with mixed forests of fir, spruce and birch. Nictau Lake and the Nepisiguit Lakes are long narrow lakes on the north and south sides of the park that lie in the valleys. The park is used by both hikers and campers.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs.
Additional biodiversity: Three peaks in Mount Carleton Provincial Park, Sagamook, Head and Carleton, support populations of breeding Bicknells Thrush. Between 25 and 50 pairs of thrushes breed in the low dense forests near and at the top of these peaks. Fifty pairs would represent 3% of the Canadian population of Bicknells Thrush, and 1% of the global population of the species, when conservative estimates are used. The Bicknells Thrush was recently declared nationally vulnerable by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ever since its discovery in 1881, this thrush was considered a subspecies of the Gray-cheeked Thrush. Now that it is clearly a separate species (based on genetic work), biologists have begun numerous studies on the species. Bicknells Thrush nests are extremely hard to find - for example, two researchers found only 14 nests in three years - making this a difficult species to fully understand.
Delineation rationale: 2011-06-06 (BL Secretariat): site area updated from 30000 ha to 24000 ha, following GIS analysis of site polygon by Bird Studies Canada (J. Moore & S. Marquez in litt. 2009).
Habitats
Land use: nature conservation and research | tourism/recreation
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 82 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 18 |