Cayería Centro - Oriental de Villa Clara (19818)
Cuba, Caribbean

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: A1e

Year of last assessment: 2018

National site name: Cayería Centro - Oriental de Villa Clara

Central coordinates: Latitude: 22.6565, Longitude: -79.2882

System: marine, terrestrial

Elevation (m): 0 to 16

Area of KBA (km²): 2833.13825

Protected area coverage (%): 76.77

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: Cayería Centro-Oriental de Villa Clara IBA is located in the Sabana-Camagüey Archipelago, and represents a group of cays off the north coast of Villa Clara province. The IBA embraces several cays including Cobos, Francés, Las Brujas, Ensenachos, Fragoso, and Santa María. These are flat cays, with diverse natural features including coastal evergreen forest, coastal scrub, mangroves, coral reefs, and sandy beaches. The towns of Caibarién, Camajuaní, and Encrucijada are close to but outside of the IBA.

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. Alliance for Zero Extinction (2018): site confirmed as an AZE site during the AZE project (2015-2018). Taxonomy, nomenclature and Red List category follow the IUCN 2016 Red List.

Additional biodiversity: This IBA supports globally significant breeding colonies of Laughing Gull Larus atricilla, Royal Tern Sterna maxima, Sandwich Tern S. sandvicensis, Common Tern S. hirundo and Least Tern S. antillarum. The area is a wintering site for the Near Threatened Piping Plover Charadrius melodus and there are also unconfirmed reports of Brown Noddy Anous stolidus breeding. A wide diversity of waterbirds use this area including the Vulnerable West Indian Whistling-duck Dendrocygna arborea. Non-bird biodiversity: The Critically Endangered eared hutia Mesocapromys auritus is endemic to Cayo Fragoso. The lizard Anolis pigmaequestris is endemic to Cayo Francés. The most diverse coral reef of the Sabana-Camagüey Archipelago is within the IBA. Of the 248 plant species present, 29 are endemic.

Delineation rationale: 2017-03-29 (BL Secretariat): the 2005 AZE site Cayo Fragoso (SitRecID 26536) has been enclosed by the larger 2009 IBA Cayería Centro - Oriental de Villa Clara (SitRedID 19818), hence Cayo Fragoso has been superseded in the 2010 AZE 2010 assessment.

Habitats

Land use: fisheries/aquaculture (80%) | forestry | nature conservation and research (40%) | tourism/recreation

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Shrubland	1
Marine Neritic	79
Marine Intertidal	5
Forest	15

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The Lanzanillo-Pajonal-Fragoso Wildlife Refuge (the only protected area approved in the IBA) and the Las Loras Wildlife Refuge are managed by the Empresa para la Protección de la Flora y la Fauna (ENPFF). The Maja-Español Inner Cays and Francés-Español Outer Cays wildlife refuges have only been proposed and lack management. Portions of the Santa María- Los Caimanes National Park as well as the Buenavista Biosphere Reserve are within the IBA and are managed by the Ministry of Science Technology and Environment. Threats to the IBA include habitat destruction, fragmentation, disturbance, gas emissions, dust, and introduced species. Beach tourists cause disturbance to C. melodus and construction-related habitat loss might affect species such as Bahama Mockingbird Mimus gundlachii and Great Lizard-cuckoo Saurothera merlini santamariae. Furthermore, local fishermen harvest eggs and chicks of gulls, cormorants and flamingos for food.

Additional information