Ua Huka (23782)
French Polynesia, Oceania
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1e, B1, B2
Year of last assessment: 2018
National site name: Ua Huka
Central coordinates: Latitude: -8.9122, Longitude: -139.5500
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 854
Area of KBA (km2): 89.20076
Protected area coverage (%): 4.59
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Ua Huka a la forme d'un croissant ouvert sur le Sud. La chaine montagneuse centrale culmine au Mont Hitikau à 854 m. Elle compte 571 habitants qui vivent principalement dans les villages de Vaipae et de Hane. Ils se livrent surtout à l'agriculture et trouvent un complément de nourriture dans la chasse aux chèvres sauvages et le ramassage des oeufs de sternes sur l'îlot Teaua. L'aérodrome, ouvert en 1972, est accessible aux avions légers et facilite les relations avec Nuku Hiva et Tahiti. Il n'y a pas de quai accessible aux navires de grand gabarit et seules les baleinières peuvent accoster. Ua Huka has the shape of a crescent open on the South. The string central mountainous peak to Mount Hitikau to 854 m. It has 571 inhabitants who live mainly in the villages of Vaipae and Hane. They are engaged mainly in agriculture and find a supplement of food in the hunting of wild goats and collecting the eggs of terns on the islet Teaua. The aerodrome, open in 1972, is accessible to light aircraft and facilitates the relations with Nuku Hiva and Tahiti. There is no dock accessible to vessels of large template and only the whaling vessels can dock
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 8240 ha to 8917 ha.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | forestry | water management
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 25 | |
| Shrubland | 25 | |
| Forest | 25 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 25 |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases | Named species | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Meyer, J.-Y. 1996. Evaluation écologique du domaine de Vaikivi (Ua Huka, Marquises). Contribution à la biodiversité de Polynésie française N°5. Délégation à l'Environnement, Tahiti. Gouni, A., Teikiteetini, M., Sulpice, R., Teatiu, L. 2005. Suivi des populations de Carpophages des Marquises, Ducula galeata, aux îles des Marquises. Société d'Ornithologie de Polynésie, Papeete. 20 pp. Ziembicki, M., Raust, P. 2003. Status, distribution and Conservation of the Ultramarine lorikeet (Vini ultramarina) in the Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia. Société d’Ornithologie de Polynésie, Papeete: 33 pp. Seitre, R., Seitre, J. 1990. SPREP occasional paper series N°8, Causes de dispariton des oiseaux terrestres de Polynésie Française. South Pacific Regional Environment Programme, South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia : 92pp.