Great Salt Pond, Sint Maarten (19919)
Sint Maarten (to Netherlands), Caribbean

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Year of last assessment: 2009

National site name: Great Salt Pond, Sint Maarten

Central coordinates: Latitude: 18.0308, Longitude: -63.0463

System: marine, terrestrial

Elevation (m): 0 to 16

Area of KBA (km²): 1.87514

KBA classification: Regional

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: Great Salt Pond is the largest pond on St. Maarten/Martin and borders the capital Philipsburg. The pond is bordered on all sides by busy roads and pollution from the urban area and landfill is a major concern.

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard.

Additional biodiversity: Laughing Gulls congregate at this site prior to the breeding season. The highest recorded population was 5,800 individuals. Based on BirdLife’s Caribbean Laughing Gull population estimate of 15,000 individuals, this congregation represents a significant portion of the regional population. It is not clear if this occurred historically or if the gulls now assemble to feed from the landfill. The only species confirmed to breed at this site is the Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus (estimated 50 pairs). Non-bird biodiversity: Not applicable.

Delineation rationale: Mark has the shapefiles.

Habitats

Summary of habitats in KBA: Great Salt Pond has a high salinity (27-38 parts per thousand) so there is little visible vegetation in the pond. The border is primarily roadside grass and urban landscape. It was previously used for salt extraction and remnant rock walls remain, which are now important roost and nesting areas. Its primary use now is as landfill and land reclamation.

Land use: urban/industrial/transport

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Marine Coastal/Supratidal	100

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Pollution leaching from the landfill caused ecological collapse in 2006, and possibly other years, resulting in a massive midge infestation which plagued Philipsburg. The government began an intensive six week pesticide application to alleviate the infestation. Trash from the landfill and town is blown into the pond. Fires at the landfill occur several times a year. Land “reclamation” is used to create parking areas, carnival grounds, and other facilities within the pond. Water levels are artificially raised and lowered using seawater, which can result in flooded nests and altered salinity levels.

Additional information