All Awash Island (19937)
St Vincent and the Grenadines, Caribbean
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2009
National site name: All Awash Island
Central coordinates: Latitude: 12.9328, Longitude: -61.1407
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 55
Area of KBA (km2): 3.67741
Protected area coverage (%): 0.95
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: All Awash Island is located approximately 1.5 nautical miles (2.8 km) south of the island of Baliceaux, and 3.0 nautical miles (5.6 km) off the north-east of Mustique. As with many other small, uninhabited islands, the vegetation is mainly comprised of degraded and wind-swept Dry Scrub Woodland. Vegetation is particularly sparse along the water’s edge at the north and east. A saddle separates the thicker westerly vegetation from the more sparsely-vegetated eastern sector. The north and east of the island are relatively accessible but thicket on the west may prove a barrier. The use of All Awash by nesting seabirds has attracted annual raids by fishermen, who begin to frequent the site from around April. The waters surrounding the island are also a scuba diving attraction.
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: All Awash is the second most populous island for nesting seabirds (D. Hazell, and E. Bess, pers. comm.). Numbers of nesting birds total several hundreds. During the non-nesting period, seabirds forage in surrounding waters, and use the island for roosting. Non-bird biodiversity: Information on the existence and status of endemics or other threatened species is unavailable.
Delineation rationale: Mark has the shapefiles.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: . As with many other small, uninhabited islands, the vegetation is mainly comprised degraded and wind-swept Dry Scrub Woodland. Vegetation is particularly sparse along the water's edge at the north and east. A saddle separates the thicker westerly vegetation from the more sparsely-vegetated eastern sector. The north and east of the island are relatively accessible but thicket on the west may prove a barrier.
Land use: tourism/recreation
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Neritic | 50 | |
| Shrubland | 50 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The poaching of eggs is believed to have a considerable impact on the breeding success of the species involved. Furthermore, human presence on the island causes much disturbance to birds during the nesting period.The use of waters for scuba diving may also cause disturbance to birds and expose species to potential poachers.