Great Plain of the Koukdjuak (11312)
Canada, North America
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: B1, D1a
Year of last assessment: 2008
National site name: Great Plain of the Koukdjuak
Central coordinates: Latitude: 66.1712, Longitude: -73.9995
System: marine, terrestrial
Area of KBA (km2): 15778.0497
Protected area coverage (%): 54.44
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The Great Plain of the Koukdjuak is located on the western side of Baffin Island along the southeastern coast of Foxe Basin. It is a broad, flat, water-logged sedge lowland. High tides sweep across the plain from Foxe Basin, and create a tidal zone that extends up to 15 km inland. The landscape is dominated by water, with circular shallow lakes and wetlands crossed by numerous small streams that drain the marshy plain. Raised beach ridges, 25 to 80 km from the coast, mark the inland limit of the plain, while granite outcrops scattered throughout the southern area interrupt the level horizon. The tundra covers marine clay soils, which overlay limestone and shale bedrock. The Great Plain is part of both the Dewey Soper Bird Sanctuary and the Bowman Bay Game Sanctuary. An important caribou migration route crosses the Koukdjuak River inland from the nesting area.
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: The Great Plain of Koukdjuak supports the largest goose colony in the world. In the summer of 1998, 1,766,500 Lesser Snow Geese migrated here to breed. This is about a third of all the Snow Geese in the world. In late May geese begin arriving at the site, and after the young are hatched both adults and offspring head further inland to feed. The geese depart from the Great Plain by early to mid-September. Other birds that breed in this area include Sabines Gulls, which nest near the coast in numbers close to 8% of the national population. Canada Geese, Oldsquaw, King and Common Eiders and Atlantic Brants can also be found here. In 1979, 1600 Atlantic Brant bred at this site, representing 1% of the estimated national population. Due to the biological richness and size of this site, about one half of the Eastern Arctic populations of Lesser Snow Goose, Canada Goose, and Atlantic Brant, can be found here. Shorebirds, such as Red Phalaropes, are also likely to be present in large numbers, but no data are available for these species.
Delineation rationale: 2011-06-06 (BL Secretariat): site area updated from 1239100 ha to 1500000 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 | not utilised
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Grassland | 48 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 5 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 48 |