Cambridge Point (11271)
Canada, North America
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: D1a
Year of last assessment: 2008
National site name: Cambridge Point
Central coordinates: Latitude: 75.8312, Longitude: -79.4195
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 300
Area of KBA (km2): 1803.57784
Protected area coverage (%): 99.99
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Coburg Island is located at the east end of Jones Sound, midway between Ellesmere and Devon Islands. The topography is quite rugged with much of the island being covered by an ice cap. Many prominent cliffs (150 to 300 m in elevation) are located along the coastline, especially at the southern end of the Island near Cambridge Point. A section of the North Water polynya (an area of open water surrounded by ice) is located immediately south of Coburg Island. The polynya is of critical importance to the nesting seabirds in that it provides a dependable area of open water for feeding during the early breeding season. During the summer, walrus concentrate and haul out in the bays to the northeast and northwest of Cambridge Point. White whales, narwhals, and bowhead whales are also reported to be abundant. During the fall, winter, and spring the polyna supports several species of marine mammals (polar bears, seals, whales etc.).
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: Approximately 160,000 pairs of Thick-billed Murres were recorded at Cambridge Point during surveys completed in the 1970s. The colony was rephotographed in the 1990s and populations are stable. Approximately 1.5% of the global, 3.5% of the North Atlantic, and about 11% of the eastern Canada Thick-billed Murre population breed on these cliffs. Black-legged Kittiwakes are also abundant nesters with about 30,000 pairs being reported at the colony in the 1970s. This represents from about 11% to as much as 15% of the western Atlantic breeding population. In addition to Thick-billed Murres and Black-legged Kittiwakes, Glaucous Gulls and Black Guillemots also nest at the colony. During the spring, large numbers of King Eider, and some Oldsquaw stage in the bays along the south end of Coburg Island. Princess Charlotte Monument (a small islet located about 17 km to the east of Cambridge Point, immediately off the Marina Peninsula) supports about 3,000 Northern Fulmars and smaller numbers of Black Guillemots (200) and Glaucous Gulls (20).
Delineation rationale: 2011-06-06 (BL Secretariat): site area updated from 600 ha to 190000 ha, following GIS analysis of site polygon by Bird Studies Canada (J. Moore & S. Marquez in litt. 2009). Type 1 marine IBA: suitable for the seaward extension approach to marine IBAs.
Habitats
Land use: not utilised
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 25 | |
| Marine Neritic | 50 | |
| Grassland | 25 |