Heard and McDonald Islands (23991)
Heard Island and McDonald Islands (to Australia), Antarctica
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1b, A1d, B1, B2, D1a
Year of last assessment: 2009
National site name: Heard and McDonald Islands
Central coordinates: Latitude: -53.0933, Longitude: 73.5068
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 2745
Area of KBA (km2): 391.21834
Protected area coverage (%): 100.00
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The Heard and McDonald Islands IBA contains the islands in the Australian Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI) in the Indian Ocean sector of the Southern Ocean. It lies about 1500 km north of Antarctica and over 4000 km south-west of Australia. Heard Island is 368 km2 and dominated by Big Ben, an active volcano rising to Mawson Peak, at 2745 m. Most of the island is covered in snow and glacial ice (about 70%) and black volcanic rocks, with vegetation and bird nests and colonies restricted to the coastal fringe. The McDonald Islands group (2.45 km2, max altitude 230 m, 43.5 km west of Heard Island) includes McDonald Island, Flat Island and Meyer Rock. McDonald Island is also volcanic; since 1980, it has doubled in size and grown in height by almost 100 m as a result of lava flows in the 1990s. The IBA is included within the 65,000 km2 Heard Island and McDonald Islands Marine Reserve (a category 1a IUCN protected area or strict nature reserve) and World Heritage Area which include the islands, all inshore waters to 12 nautical miles and some offshore waters.
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.
Additional biodiversity: Other nesting seabirds include around 1100 pairs of an endemic subspecies of Imperial Shag, 0-1 pairs of Wandering Albatross, 1000-2500 pairs of Cape Petrel, about 100,000 pairs of Antarctic Prion, 1000-10,000 pairs of Common Diving-Petrels, unknown numbers of Wilson’s Storm-petrel, about 250 pairs of Kelp Gull and 100-200 pairs of Antarctic Tern (Woehler 2006). Non-bird biodiversity: Three species of seal breed on Heard Island: Southern Elephant Seal, Antarctic Fur Seal and Subantarctic Fur Seal. The only known introduced fauna species are a thrip and a mite. Twelve species of vascular plants are present. Two species of alien plants are present: Poa annua and Leptinella plumosa.
Other site values: Australian Federal Government with management the responsibility of the Australian Antarctic Division. Access is strictly controlled by the Australian Antarctic Division.
Habitats
Land use: nature conservation and research (100%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 5 | |
| Introduced Vegetation | 5 | |
| Rocky Areas(e.g., inland cliffs, mountain peaks) | 80 | |
| Grassland | 5 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 5 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Maintain strong quarantine measures. Monitor numbers of seabirds and investigate causes for any changes (increases and decreases).
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Unintentional effects: large scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Australian Antarctic Division (2005) Heard Island and McDonald Islands Marine Reserve Management Plan. Kingston, Tasmania: Australian Antarctic Division. Woehler, E.J. (2006) Status and conservation of the seabirds of Heard Island and the McDonald Islands. Pp. 128-165 in K. Green and E.J. Woehler, eds. Heard Island, Southern Ocean Sentinel. Chipping Norton, New South Wales: Surrey Beatty and Sons.
Contributors: The nomination was prepared by Birds Australia with assistance from Eric Woehler.