Tahuata (23777)
French Polynesia, Oceania
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a, B1, B2
Year of last assessment: 2018
National site name: Tahuata
Central coordinates: Latitude: -9.9333, Longitude: -139.1000
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 1000
Area of KBA (km2): 71.90741
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Tahuata a la forme d'un croissant long de 15 km, dominé par une arête culminant à 1 050 m. Ses versants escarpés, striés de vallées profondes se terminent en falaises imposantes et sont échancrées de petites baies tapissées de sable blanc. Tahuata est en effet la seule île de l'archipel des Marquises bordée de formations coralliennes. Elle est séparée de Hiva Oa par un bras de mer de 3 km de largeur. l'île est une commune de 637 habitants groupés en quatre villages : Vaitahu, Hapatoni, Motopu et Hanatetena. L'agriculture est sa principale richesse.
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.
Delineation rationale: 2012-12-17 (BL Secretariat): original polygon clipped to hi-res coastline following identification in October 2012 of new marine IBA offshore this site; site area consequently changed from 6900 ha to 7191 ha.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | tourism/recreation
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 20 | |
| Shrubland | 20 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 20 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 20 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 20 |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Small-holder farming | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases | Named species | Only in the future |
Additional information
References: Gouni, A. 2004. Situation du Pahi Martin-chasseur des Marquises (Polynésie Française) (Todiramphus godeffroyi). Société d’Ornithologie de Polynésie, Papeete. 36 p.