Stafford Creek to Andros Town (20581)
Bahamas, Caribbean
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a, B2, D1a
Year of last assessment: 2021
National site name: Stafford Creek to Andros Town
Central coordinates: Latitude: 24.7990, Longitude: -77.8819
System: terrestrial, marine
Elevation (m): 0 to 50
Area of KBA (km2): 93.81139
Protected area coverage (%): 0.00
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Stafford Creek to Andros Town embraces a large tract of land extending along the north-east coast of Central Andros from the settlements of Stafford Creek in the north, through Staniard Creek and Coakley Town to Andros Town (also known as Fresh Creek) in the south. It encompasses the sandy beach flats, Caribbean pine (Pinus caribaea) forest, broadleaf coppice, wetland, and inland blue holes. The area is used for large scale domestic and commercial agriculture; fly, sport, commercial fishing; ecotourism, general tourism, and research.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site was originally confirmed as a KBA as four bird species (Bahama Yellowthroat, Bahama Oriole, Bahama Mockingbird, and Bahama Swallow) trigger criteria A1a and B2. Recent data from multi-year censuses across the Bahamas indicates that Stafford Creek to Andros Town also supports wintering aggregations of Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) that meet the threshold of criterion D1a.
Additional biodiversity: This is one of the few sites where all the Bahamas endemics can be found, Bahama Woodstar (Calliphlox evelynae), Bahama Yellowthroat (Geothlypis rostrata) and Bahama Swallow (Tachycineta cyaneoviridis). It also supports important populations of the Bahamas EBA restricted-range bird Bahama Mockingbird (Mimus gundlachii). This is a great site to find most of the resident Bahama birds including Great Lizard-Cuckoo (Coccyzus merlini), Zenaida Dove, Key West Quail-Dove (Geotrygon chrysia), Cuban Emerald (Chlorostilbon ricordii), Greater Antillean Bullfinch, Cuban Pewee and many others. It is also an excellent location to observe migrant warblers and shorebirds. The Vulnerable rock iguana Cyclura cyclura cyclura occurs throughout the pine and coppice areas of this KBA.
Delineation rationale: The current boundaries of Stafford Creek to Andros Town are expanded to include an area of approximately 11.92 km², including the shoreline and unvegetated beaches of Kamalame Cay, and the sandflats and mudfalts of Forfar Flats and South Blanket Sound. Sidney Maddock and Scott Johnson, both expert Piping Plover surveyors with experience in this area, indicate that Kamalame Cay is a high-tide roosting area for large aggregations of Piping Plovers, while Forfar Flats and South Blanket Sound are regularly used during low tide by these aggregations (personal communication, May 27, 2021).
Habitats
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 25 | |
| Forest | 25 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 25 | |
| Shrubland | 25 |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops |