Landfall Island Wildlife Sanctuary (18008)
India, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2004
National site name: Landfall Island Wildlife Sanctuary
Central coordinates: Latitude: 13.6605, Longitude: 93.0042
System: marine, terrestrial
Area of KBA (km2): 24.7898
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The Land Fall Island Wildlife Sanctuary lies in the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal. In this IBA, the mangroves are still more or less intact, with medium to large trees, extensive lagoons and creeks. Further inland, tropical rain forest is found. Pandanus andamanensium and P. tectorius are seen in the creeks and lagoons.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas)
Additional biodiversity: AVIFAUNA: The site is inaccessible and requires proper survey to identify the avifauna. However, the following Restricted Range species are assumed to be present in the Sanctuary (R. Sankaran pers. comm. 2003, R. Sivakumar pers. comm. 2003). Due to very few studies having been conducted here, it is a Data Deficient site. Apart from this tentative list, more Restricted Range species are probably present in this IBA. Moreover, many endemic subspecies, which are not included in the Red Data List but nevertheless vital from the conservation point of view, are also found here. OTHER KEY FAUNA: There is no large terrestrial wild mammal on this site. The Andaman Water Monitor Varanus salvator andamanensis, which can swim between the islands, has colonised this site. Lagoons and the sea around Land Fall Island abound in Green Sea Turtle Chelonia mydas and Hawksbill Turtle Eretmochelys imbricata. Various corals and fish have been recorded in the seas around this IBA.
Habitats
Land use: nature conservation and research | tourism/recreation
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 50 | |
| Forest | 50 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: MAIN THREATS: Poaching; Indiscriminate fishing; Habitat destruction. Land Fall is the northernmost island of the Andaman group, thus poachers and fishermen from neighbouring countries frequently come here for the sea turtles. Interestingly, it also attracts a large number of sea snakes to its coastal areas, which have numerous rocks and niches where these animals can hide.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Intentional use (species being assessed is the target) | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |